Familiar From the Stars
Chapter 4
Hello all! I'm glad you liked the duel between Guiche and Z and are looking forward to Louise getting her Jedi Training. I'm not sure whether to have other Halkeginians learn to use the force from Z or not, though.
On with the show.
Disclaimer: Trace Carter owns nothing
"Why are we going into town again?" asked Louise as she rode a horse with Z.
"You need a training outfit," Z answered.
"I have plenty of uniforms," said Louise.
"So you feel comfortable doing physical exercises like handstands and pushups, wearing a white blouse and skirt?" asked Z.
Louise blushed at that, "What kind of clothes do you have in mind then?"
"Since I am unsure about the kinds of clothes that this planet has, we will have to look around," said Z.
"You keep talking about other planets," said Louise, "can you tell me about some of them?"
"Let's see," said Z, "there's Coruscant, in the Galactic Core. The entire planet is covered in one giant city."
"An entire world covered by a city?" said Louise in disbelief, "High ranked Nobles must live there."
"Actually," said Z, "all sorts live there, though it was once the home of the Jedi Order and the Galactic Senate."
"Who are the Galactic Senate and the Jedi order?" asked Louise.
"The Galactic Senate was a gathering of the representatives of all the planets that were a part of what is now known as the Old Republic," explained Z, "its purpose was to allow the representatives the opportunity to influence the creation of laws by way of a vote and a voice. The Jedi Order was the order of the Jedi Knights, located in the Jedi Temple. They were seen as the peacekeepers of the galaxy and were trained to use the force from infancy."
"Are you a member of the order?" asked Louise.
Z shook his head, "I never received any formal training. And I couldn't join if I wanted to."
"Why is that?" asked Louise with confusion.
"The Order died years ago," said Z, "there was a great war and in the aftermath, the Galactic Republic was transformed into the Galactic Empire and the Emperor ordered the extermination of the Jedi. The great Temple is in ruins now and all who use the Force have been forced into hiding."
"Is that what happened to you?"
"Yes," said Z, "I was hiding in a cave on a barren planet when you summoned me. I haven't been on the run like that for decades."
"Decades?" asked Louise, "How can that be? You look about 17."
"Actually," said Z, "I'm over 200 years old."
"How is that possible?" asked Louise.
"Don't forget, I'm a shapeshifter," said Z, "I can look as old or as young as I want. Also, my species can live up to 500 years of age."
"Amazing," said Louise.
"That's nothing," said Z, "there are species that can live up to 900 years."
"Is all that really out there beyond the stars?" asked Louise.
"All that and more," said Z, "and look, we've arrived."
xXsceneXx
Once Louise had tied up their horse, she took Z to some of the clothing shops to look for her 'training outfit' as he called it.
"How about this?" asked Louise as she showed him a black buttoned vest with a white undershirt. (Blake's outfit from RWBY)
Z shook his head, "Black would only overheat you. Ah! Found one."
Z held up a light grey shirt and sports pants that would allow for more movement.
"This is perfect," said Z.
"What exactly do you expect me to be doing?" asked Louise.
"Training," said Z with a smirk, "we'll need this too," he added, grabbing a set of ribbons.
Z and Louise then rode back to the Academy. Once there Z walked over to Louise and tied a lock of her long hair in a braid that hung behind her ear.
"With this you are now my apprentice," said Z, "this braid is the symbol of that."
"What do we do first?" asked Louise.
"First," said Z, "you will need to change."
Z handed her the training clothes and waited as she went to her room to get dressed. As he waited, he pulled a short metal cylinder from within his body and inspected it. It seemed to be functioning properly and he set it aside and waited. Soon Louise came out wearing the training clothes Z had picked for her.
"Are you sure this is appropriate?" asked Louise.
"Perfectly," said Z.
"What do I do first?" asked Louise.
Z responded by tossing her the metal cylinder.
"What's this?" asked Louise.
"That is a training Lightsaber," said Z.
"What's a training lightsaber?" asked Louise.
"A lightsaber," explained Z, "is the weapon used by the Jedi and their enemy, the Sith Lords. It is a powerful weapon that can cut through almost anything and when wielded by a master, is without peer. This training version will allow you to get a feel for one without endangering yourself. When your training is done, you will build your own."
"How will I do that?" asked Louise.
"I have all the parts," said Z, "and you will learn all that you need. The first lesson is meditation."
"Meditation?" said Louise, "You can't be serious."
"I am," said Z, "to commune with the Living and Unifying Force, you must learn to meditate and feel the Force flow around and through you and all things. Once you can do that, you can learn to manipulate it and bend it to your will. This was the first thing I learned as well from my teacher."
Louise huffed, "I don't see how meditating would help me get stronger."
"Well if you want to start with the physical training, then that's fine too," said Z, "first you'll need to do some laps around the castle then."
"…I'll do the meditation," said Louise nervously.
"I thought you might," said Z, "I want you to sit comfortably and close your eyes and focus on the energy in the world around you."
Louise nodded and sat on the ground. She closed her eyes and tried to feel the energy around her. She was surprised to find that she could feel the energy flowing in and around the world around her. With a small surge of willpower, she began to nudge and tug at the flowing energy.
"STOP!" cried out Z.
"What?" said Louise, breaking her focus with a jolt.
*thud*
Louise was surprised to see that numerous large rocks had been floating and had fallen to the ground when she broke your focus.
"H-how did you do that?" asked Z shakily.
"It was like feeling the magical energy in the environment," said Louise.
Z was speechless.
"…looks like I've found a diamond in the rough," he finally said, "I will make you a force user that can surpass even the jedi."