Chapter 7. Building Powers

I had been living in the Jedi Temple for two months when I discovered my true power.

My mother and I were both happy with our new lives. I had my training, and my mother had found satisfaction and purpose working as a nurse in the Halls of Healing. In addition, she and Padmé had become good friends. The two of them were often spotted together in the halls of the Jedi Temple or in the gardens. When my mother wasn't working, they could usually be found in Anakin and Padmé's rooms, playing with the twins, or in the nursery.

I had decided to grow a Padawan braid after all. I had discovered that most of the Padawans had braids. After giving the matter a little thought, I had resolved to grow one to clearly mark my status. Luckily, girls were allowed to keep their hair long, so I didn't have to cut it. My hair was long enough that I had been able to make a small braid right away, and it had grown a little more so that it now hung slightly below my right shoulder. It didn't look as bad as I had feared it would. My braid had a yellow band at the top, just like Ben. I had learned that the yellow band signified a new beginning, and also that I had attained the rank of Padawan before the age of thirteen. I was just beginning my studies, so I hadn't thought about what I would focus on yet. Once I decided on my specific fields of study, additional color bands would be added to my braid.

Jedi training was a lot harder than I had thought it might be. I had known it wouldn't be easy, that the training would be long and difficult. I just hadn't anticipated exactly how difficult it would be.

I maintained a strict, rigorous daily schedule. Meditation was required at least five times a day. I would meditate first thing in the morning, before breakfast. After breakfast, I would meet Obi-Wan in our designated training room for Force education. Obi-Wan instructed me in Control and Sense use. We would either review a Force skill or he would teach me a new one. Then, two hours before lunch, I attended youngling classes. These classes were basically a Jedi general education. Instead of Language Arts, Math, Social Studies and Science, I learned about the history of the Jedi Order, politics, diplomacy, galactic law, philosophy, literature, sciences and languages. After lunch, Obi-Wan and I reviewed the Jedi Code and had a meditation session. Then we went to one of the gyms. It was an hour of intense physical training to increase my strength, agility and coordination. It consisted of jumping jacks, walking on a balance beam suspended in the air, push-ups, sit-ups, and climbing ropes. Then I ran an obstacle course. The gym was usually crowded, and I often saw youngling clans going through their exercises. After that, I had lightsaber practice and training in hand-to-hand combat with Obi-Wan for the rest of the afternoon. I was frequently blindfolded during lightsaber practice so that I would focus and rely on the Force and not, as Obi-Wan was fond of saying, "let my eyes deceive me." After dinner, my parents and I would gather in their room for a group meditation session. Later, I would return to my room and read one or two of the books Obi-Wan had given me, which he would sometimes quiz me on the next day. Each week, he gave me one or two additional books to read. I now had three piles of books stacked neatly on my desk.

One of the first books he had given me was a beginner's guide to lightsaber combat. Obi-Wan was teaching me Forms I-VI. I had learned Form I so quickly that we were now focusing on Form III. I studied the book, learning the history of Jedi combat and the intricacies of each form. It was a good supplement to my in-person instruction.

At night, after I had finished my reading, and before my final meditation, I would spend a half hour practicing my lightsaber skills. I kept my training lightsaber in my room, but I didn't use it there yet. At my insistence, Obi-Wan had given me a wooden training stick, which remained in my room, and I slowly practiced my techniques, copying the stances and strokes Obi-Wan had taught me. Then I moved through the velocities, or training drills, I repeated in class. I also practiced the unarmed combat moves I learned each day. At first, I had wondered why I needed to learn to fight without a lightsaber; after all, the lightsaber is the weapon of the Jedi. "And what if you lose your lightsaber in a fight?" Obi-Wan questioned. "Then I'll just use my Force powers," I answered logically. But then I recalled how Obi-Wan had fought Jango Fett in Attack of the Clones and knew that I needed to know how to defend myself with punches and kicks as well.

I practiced meditation again before bed. My mom had taught me progressive muscle relaxation, and I liked to incorporate this into my last meditation practice of the day. This deep muscle relaxation technique made it easier for me to fall asleep, and I slept better. Sometimes I went to one of the meditation chambers, but mostly I liked to practice in my room. Obi-Wan had told me that I would become so capable that I would be able to meditate anywhere, even if there were distractions around me.

Twice a week, I attended a Starship Piloting class with a few other Padawans. It was taught by Master Skywalker. Anakin used a simulator to teach us, and predicted that within a few months, we would graduate to lessons in a real starship.

I had asked Obi-Wan why he wasn't training me to fly a ship himself. "I'm proficient enough," he answered. "But it's important for you to receive some training from other Masters who have exceptional skills that I don't have. And don't you want to learn from the best? Besides, I don't like flying," he admitted. I did want to learn from arguably the greatest pilot of all time in this galaxy, but I wanted to know more about why Obi-Wan had an aversion to flying. One day, he revealed that once, when he had been Qui-Gon's Padawan, he actually loved flying. He told me the story of how, on one of their missions, he had accidentally turned on his starfighter's autopilot system, and he could not turn it off. He had to fly at very high speeds through the inside of a cruiser. It did not crash, but evidently this experience left him very distressed and permanently destroyed his enjoyment of flying.

So I stayed at the Temple every day, training hard, but I couldn't wait until I was ready to accompany Obi-Wan on his missions. I wasn't sure if there was an age requirement for Padawans to go out on missions with their Masters, but I knew I needed a lot more training before I was ready for this.

Recently, Obi-Wan had started teaching me Alter Force skills. My Control and Sense knowledge were well-developed. He planned to begin my resistance training against mind probes and interrogation next week. I had begun to use Force speed, and I had started to learn Force jumps and flips. Today, I was going to learn Force push and pull.

I could now sit comfortably in meditation and concentrate for up to twenty minutes. I hadn't experienced any visions yet, but I knew that other Jedi, Master Yoda in particular, sometimes had them while they were deep in meditation. I wasn't sure if the Force would grant me this particular power, but I hoped so. It had been helpful to know what would happen before. Now that everything had changed, since Anakin had not turned, I didn't know what would occur in the future. Darth Sidious had been destroyed, but Maul was still on the loose. I remained anxious because Obi-Wan had not yet received any word from Ahsoka.

On this particular day, as I began my morning meditation in my room, I was thinking about the family pictures I had looked at in my parents' room the previous evening. When we had hastily packed that fateful night, my mother had brought two small pictures from her room. I had been in such a hurry; I hadn't even thought about taking any photographs with me. I wished I had. Now, I remembered my favorite one of my fifth birthday party. I wished I had that picture with me here, in my small room at the Jedi Temple.

I took a few deep breaths and prepared to begin my meditation. I closed my eyes and counted to ten, inhaling and exhaling. My anxiety about Maul disappeared as I let that emotion go. Soon, I felt calm and serene.

I thought about that picture from my old home as I relaxed. Before long, my body began to feel tingly. I felt a ball of energy slowly building throughout my body, starting from my toes and spreading up to my stomach. As I thought about how I would like to have that picture again, I felt an overwhelming urge to move my hands in circles and then pull them toward me. The energy pulsed through my body, and I felt as if I would explode. Frightened, I opened my eyes and stopped my meditation. The ball of energy slowly subsided and then disappeared.

What in the world had that been? Was that supposed to happen in a Jedi meditation? I would have to ask Obi-Wan about this.

After breakfast, I made my way through the First Knowledge Quarter to the Jedi Archives. Obi-Wan had been called to a Council meeting, so I had a free hour or two. Whenever he was in a Council meeting, I found myself either in my room or the Archives. Obi-Wan had shown me all of the sections of the Archives, so I was now pretty familiar with it. I decided to do some research and see if I could find any information about what I had experienced during my meditation.

It was on this occasion that I met Caleb Dume again.

Once I was in the First Hall of the library, I sat down at a computer terminal. The First Hall contained the books on philosophy, history, and Force powers. I wasn't really sure what I was looking for. Books on meditation? I decided to start there.

After a half hour, I was no closer to gaining the information I sought than I had been before I entered the Archives. I asked an analysis droid where I should look. The droid directed me to the Stacks on unusual Force abilities. I looked around at the shelves full of holobooks and felt utterly bewildered. Where did I start? I didn't even know if what I had experienced was some kind of Force power, or just some odd reaction to my meditation. I noticed Jocasta Nu's Padawan, Librarian Jin-Lo Rayce, and asked him for assistance. He pursed his lips when I asked him for books on meditation Force powers and looked perplexed. He checked several holobooks on meditation and then shook his head.

"Battle meditation?" he pondered as he scanned the holobook. "Nope, that's not it."

"You might need access to the more comprehensive texts on Force powers," he told me. "Only Jedi Masters are allowed to see those; they're restricted. You'll have to get permission from Master Nu. Why don't you wait in that reading room and I'll have her come see you?"

I thanked him for his help and walked to the reading room. It was there that I noticed Caleb sitting at a desk, reading. I sat down at the desk next to him.

"Hi, Kan-I mean, Caleb!" I greeted him.

"Hi, Emma!" Caleb smiled at me. "I see you decided to spend your 'free hour' in the library, too." He chuckled.

"Yes, I have to do some research."

"Oh, that's what I'm doing too," he told me.

I wondered if he had ever experienced something similar to me in meditation. When I asked him, Caleb shook his head. "Chief Librarian Nu will be able to help you," he said certainly. "Although …" Now he sounded unsure. "She still hasn't been able to help me find any information on Earth."

"Oh, are you still interested in that?"

"Very." He sounded fascinated. "Say, maybe you can answer some of my questions. After all, you're from that planet."

"Okay," I said warily. As long as he didn't find out the truth about Star Wars, I guessed it was alright. "What do you want to know?"

"Earth is located in a completely different galaxy. Are there lots of Jedi there?"

"Well, actually," I said uneasily, "there aren't any Jedi."

"How can that be?" Caleb was clearly baffled. "If the Force is everywhere, why aren't there Jedi on Earth?"

"Uh … I'm not really sure," I said hastily.

"Very interesting. I'll have to ask Master Kenobi about that the next time I see him." Caleb sounded intrigued. Luckily, he decided to change the topic.

"Do you remember how Master Billaba said she might answer my questions on Form VII after I saw her class in my holocron?" I nodded. "Well, she was kind of evasive and guarded about it. Today I was going to do research on Form VII, but I needed permission from Chief Librarian Nu to look at those holobooks. She denied me access to those, so now I'm studying this." He held up a book. "This is Master Windu's battle journal from the Clone Wars. I just read this section on the Battle of Geonosis. Now I'm reading about the Battle of Haruun Kal. Master Billaba never talks about what happened there. Although, before I became her Padawan, I asked her about it, and she told me that she was only totally healed physically. She felt completely responsible for all of her troops who died there, and she was afraid of causing more deaths. It sounds like she doubted her ability as a general and was haunted by the losses of her men. I suspect that is what drove her into despair. But we won the Battle of Kaller. I see her as a very effective commander. So now I'm trying to see if I can find something in this journal."

"Look at this." He pointed to a page. "Master Windu seems to indicate that she fell to the dark side on Haruun Kal." Caleb sounded anguished.

"Do you think she did?" I asked him, surprised. I knew it was his home planet, but I didn't know Master Windu had been on Haruun Kal during the battle. I thought Master Billaba fought Grievous there and was gravely injured, both physically and mentally, but I had never heard anything about her turning to the dark side. Later on, she had made a full recovery and took Caleb as her Padawan.

"I don't know!" he exclaimed. "I can't believe she would." He ran his hands through his brown hair.

"I thought Form VII was prohibited," I said. "My father told me the Jedi were afraid that such knowledge would tempt them to the dark side. Did Master Windu really teach it to Master Billaba? And who taught it to him?"

"Yes, he was her Master," Caleb explained. "And it is prohibited. I'm not exactly sure of the reason he taught it to Master Billaba, but no one taught him. He invented it."

"What?" I was shocked. "Why would he do that, if it's so dangerous?"

"Well, I don't know how much Master Kenobi has explained to you, but there are two styles of Form VII. One is called Juyo. Master Windu invented a variation called Vaapad. All Master Billaba would tell me is that it is the most combative and violent form, and her mindset when fighting with that style led her perilously close to the dark side. There have only been three masters of Vaapad, and Master Billaba is one of them."

"Why are you so interested in Form VII?" I asked, surprised.

Caleb held up a hand. "Don't worry about me, Emma. She won't teach it to me and I don't want to learn it. I've heard how dangerous that form is. I just want to know more about what happened to Master Billaba, if learning that form somehow caused her to turn. I don't want …" He didn't finish the sentence.

You don't ever want that to happen to you, I finished his thought.

"I know you would never turn to the dark side," I said. "You would never allow power or darkness to corrupt you."

"Never," he vowed.

Caleb continued to speak about his Master. "She's so wise, thoughtful and caring, but she's also an incredible fighter. She's a very brave leader." Caleb spoke affectionately and obviously thought highly of Master Billaba.

"And she's so selfless, as all Jedi must be. She always talks about the importance of sacrifice for the greater good."

As well as being very protective of you, I thought. He didn't know it, but he hadn't experienced the very worst. If Order 66 had occurred, he would have ended up completely guilt-stricken, traumatized, and disillusioned. Master Billaba would have sacrificed herself to save him. And Kanan-I meant Caleb-would have sacrificed himself in that fire. I sighed sadly. Hopefully, that would never happen now.

"And she's usually so mild-mannered and peaceful, I find it ironic that she is a master of Form VII." Caleb shook his head skeptically. "If I hadn't seen that video, I don't know if I would have believed it."

"But you did see that video," I worried. "Now you know how to fight like that!"

"No, I don't," Caleb countered. "I couldn't understand how they were fighting. It looked like a blur of lightsabers. I couldn't imitate Master Windu or Master Billaba unless one of them personally gave me a lesson. And Master Billaba told me that the Council will never let her use it ever again."

"Really." Something must have happened, then.

"What was it like, fighting in the Clone Wars?" I asked him. Even though we trained from a very young age for combat, at this point I couldn't imagine actually fighting in a real battle.

"Well, Master Billaba and I are both planners. She would discuss her strategy for the battle with me and ask my opinion as to how I thought we could best achieve our goal. She really values my input." Caleb sounded flattered.

Caleb sighed. "But it wasn't as glamorous as I thought it would be. I was afraid the war would be over before I had an opportunity to fight. I was excited and eager to prove myself. I fought on Kardoa, Mygeeto, and Kaller. I couldn't wait to rush off to battle. I had no idea of the realities of war. It's not all glory and heroics. I watched my friend, a clone trooper named Stance, die at Mygeeto." He sounded older than fourteen.

"That must have been really hard," I sympathized.

"I avenged him," he told me, his voice hard.

I wasn't sure if I liked this side of Caleb. In that moment, I sincerely hoped that I would never have to fight in a war, and that I would just work to uphold peace. War sounded miserable.

"Anyway, after the war was over and we returned home, Master Billaba confided in me that she had learned a valuable lesson during the war: to never abandon our Jedi beliefs. I'm not sure what caused her to say that. This leads me to think that something dreadful happened to her on Haruun Kal."

"Maybe," I conceded. I peered over his shoulder. "Maybe you'll find answers in Master Windu's journal." Then I remembered something I had wanted to know. "Does Master Billaba ever say she's proud of you?" I asked Caleb suddenly.

"Err, sometimes," Caleb said. "Why do you ask?"

"When you become a master, I hope you tell your apprentice that you're proud of him," I said innocently. You praised Master Billaba and you were about to say it to Sabine, I thought. I know you can do it!

At first, Caleb looked startled by my vehemence, but then he grinned. "Of course, I will!" he declared.

He picked up another journal. "This is Master Jinn's journal of his missions. I started reading this too. There's lots of interesting stuff in here."

"Why did you want to see Master Qui-Gon's journal?" I asked wonderingly.

"Oh, I'm interested in learning about all of the great Jedi Masters' experiences," he answered. "You never know when you'll learn something really eye-opening."

"I sometimes wonder what would have happened if Master Jinn had not been killed," I said, thinking of how different things would have been if he had been able to train Anakin.

"He mentions the Holocron of Prophecy a number of times," Caleb informed me.

"What is the Holocron of Prophecy?" I asked him.

We were interrupted then by the arrival of Jocasta Nu.

Caleb glanced at the clock. "I should get going," he said. "Master Billaba is probably back from the Council meeting by now." He stood up and looked at me.

"How is your training going, Emma?" he asked me.

"Pretty good," I answered promptly. "Master Obi-Wan tells me I am progressing very quickly. He seems pleased with my work."

"That's great." He smiled at me. "Let me know if you ever want to have a practice duel."

"I don't know if I'm ready for that, but definitely sometime in the future," I promised. "Oh, Caleb? Before you go, there's something else I'd like to ask you."

"What is it?"

"Does Master Billaba always tell you to focus?" I asked him playfully. I recollected how many times Kanan told Ezra to focus. My mom used to joke with me, if I had a quarter for every time Kanan said focus, I would be rich!

"She used to say it a lot when I first started training with her," Caleb affirmed. "Not so much anymore. I must have learned." He laughed and waved. "Have a great day, Emma."

I looked anticipatorily at Jocasta Nu.

"I understand you need some information from the restricted section," she began. "You are seeking secrets about Force powers?"

"I have to go," I told her reluctantly. "I'll come back later." Only if Obi-Wan can't help me, I thought.

"I'll be expecting you," she said.

When I entered the training room, Obi-Wan was there. He looked closely at me. "Has something happened, Emma?" he asked me, sounding curious, not concerned.

Had he somehow detected what had occurred this morning? I described the strange sensation I had felt earlier in meditation. "It seemed like the Force wanted me to do something … is this a power?" Obi-Wan looked contemplative and did not reply.

"It was a really strange feeling … it scared me a little," I confessed.

"I've never heard of anything like that before," he admitted. "Well, let's see what happens today in your training. If you feel like that again, let me know immediately. We'll see what you're doing and maybe we can figure this out."

"I have some news." Instantly alert, I looked at him searchingly. "Ahsoka contacted me this morning," Obi-Wan began. "She found Maul. He was, indeed, on Dathomir. It appears that he is building some kind of organization. She fought him, but unfortunately he got away and left the planet with his followers."

"Maul escaped again?" I complained.

"Ahsoka and Rex will continue pursuing him. It won't be easy, but they will hunt him down and bring him to justice."

I willed myself not to panic. I could not shake the feeling that Maul was going to go after my family.

"Maul always escapes," I grumbled. "I just hope he doesn't come here."

"We will be ready for him," Obi-Wan replied. "But I doubt Maul would be foolish enough to singlehandedly attack the Jedi Temple."

"No, he'll just wait for an opportunity to ambush us instead," I pointed out. But I pushed the unsettling image aside and prepared for today's lessons. I wasn't going to waste any more time worrying about what Maul might do.

Obi-Wan cleared his throat. "All right, Emma. Let's begin."

"You already know how to lift objects with telekinesis. Today you will acquire skill in Force push and pull. The concept is the same. You will move things with your mind. Visualize what you want to do in your mind and see yourself accomplishing your goal. Believe that you can do it. As I told you once before, you seem to have a natural inclination for this skill, as it was the first one you learned without any training. That shows me that your telekinesis abilities are strong and will grow even more powerful with training."

I nodded to show that I understood. Obi-Wan continued.

"We'll practice Force push first." Obi-Wan placed a chair in front of me. "Push this chair away from you."

I held out my hand and concentrated. The next thing I knew, I heard a loud bang. When I opened my eyes, I saw that the chair had flown across the room and crashed into a table.

I wondered when I would be ready to practice Force push against him and use it like I was in a real fight, like Anakin and Obi-Wan on Mustafar. Probably not for a while.

"Excellent, Emma. Now for Force pull." Obi-Wan picked up a book and walked to the other side of the room. "I want you to bring this book over to you." I stretched out my hand again and willed the book to come to me. Nothing happened. I tried again. Still nothing.

"Why is this so difficult?" I was getting frustrated.

"It takes conviction, Emma. Focus. Center your attention on what you are doing. Don't forget what it takes to use the Force as a Jedi. All your senses must be heightened. You need to have high levels of concentration and willpower. Your emotions must be balanced."

I didn't remember emotions being pertinent to Force use. After all, Obi-Wan's emotions certainly hadn't seemed balanced the first time he fought Darth Maul. But I guessed he wanted me to be mindful of my emotions.

The next time I attempted this, I succeeded. When I extended my hand, the book flew from Obi-Wan's grasp and into my outstretched hand.

"Good work, Emma! Now do it again." Obi-Wan picked up his lightsaber.

"Ok." I closed my eyes and concentrated hard. I got ready to use Force pull again. At that moment, for whatever reason, I once again thought of my favorite family picture, just like I had during my morning meditation. I felt the ball of energy spreading all through me, but this time I didn't try to stop it. I didn't know exactly what has happening, but I knew one thing for certain. This was the Force. I must be growing really powerful with it! Excited and confident that I was about to pull the lightsaber away from Obi-Wan, I reached out my hand even more. At that point, compulsively, I moved both of my hands together and toward me. The energy increased rapidly, and I hoped I wouldn't shatter his lightsaber with the intensity of it. The feeling was so strong that I wouldn't have been surprised if I pulled Obi-Wan along with his lightsaber.

The images in my head shifted, alternating between the picture and the lightsaber. Finally, they settled on the picture. When the energy reached its height, I felt both powerful and drained. The might of the energy finally knocked me down to the floor.

"Emma, are you alright?" Obi-Wan's anxious voice was next to my ear.

I felt something in my hand. When I opened my eyes, I was holding the picture!

Slowly, I stood up and turned to him. "Where did this come from? It wasn't here before!"

"You created it," Obi-Wan said. He did not sound at all amazed by this.

"I what?" I said in disbelief. "How is that possible? I thought Jedi could manipulate objects using the Force, not create them out of thin air!"

"You were thinking about that picture, weren't you?" he asked me.

"Yes," I told him. "I thought about how nice it would be if I had it here with me."

"Somehow you were able to will that image into reality."

"This was the exact feeling I had when I was meditating. But how is this able to be done?"

"I'm not sure," Obi-Wan admitted. "I've never heard of a Force-user having this kind of ability before."

"You mean I have new powers? Powers that no one else has?"

He picked up the picture from the floor. "Let's go."

"Where are we going?"

"To see Master Yoda."