Death twirled in the air, his saber coming down in a sweeping arch of green energy as he cleaved the training droid in two. He snapped the saber off with a click of the handle and turned around to face Galen, Galen nodded his approval.
"You are getting better at this, now that you have a proper Lightsaber in your hands." Galen mentioned pleased.
"Yes Master." Death bowed.
Galen then waved John over, it was late at night and John had just completed his homework. He was glaring intensely into the room watching the two of them…. His father and his Father's apprentice.
John had mixed feelings about what was going on between the two of them. On the one hand he liked Death, and even his father to an extent, but on the other he was jealous of the rapport they seemed to have developed.
Galen twisted his head around curiously and then made the motion with his hands again. This time more forceful, more demanding.
John sighed, he wanted to be a Jedi but there was just something…off by the whole experience.
He moved forward and joined Death, they both bowed to each other and turned to face Galen Zaun.
"Now, be mindful of your feelings. But especially mindful of the Force around you. Of the energies and sensations and echoes around you. Learn them, reach out for them." Galen intoned.
Death nodded his acceptance, his face looking contemplative. John looked curious, but he felt a jolt of energy racing up his hands and tickling his perceptions.
Galen looked between the two of them, and then sighed. "Well, that is all I have for the two of you tonight."
Death and John moved off to the other room.
"Hey Death, my school, well some of the people in it are putting together a sandlot game and they want you to come." John said staying close to Death's sleeve.
"Sure, sounds fun." Death smiled a bit, realizing they probably wanted the cool guy to come ref them or something.
John nodded and smiled, skipping off to go to bed. Death smiled again before he went through his own door to sleep.
John got up early the next morning, but still running late on his schedule. He had to eat breakfast in a rush and run out the door on his way to the hover bus that would take him to his school.
He said good bye to his father through the Force, and Death as well, who were still eating their breakfast at the table.
A smile curved Galen's lips as the spoon containing the hot steaming bittersweet stew hovered near his mouth.
"He is getting good." Galen blurted happily, downing the scalding fluid and broth burning the roof of his mouth slightly and causing him to grimace.
"What?" Death replied pausing mid bite.
"You did not feel that?" Galen asked trying to keep his voice neutral from the shock spreading through him almost as fast as the hot stew.
"No." Death said annoyed.
Galen grinned. "He is good, he is so natural at this."
Death furrowed his brows annoyed. "Who is?"
"John, he just reached out in the Force and said good bye." Galen said more to himself, beaming inside.
Death shrugged to himself and finished his stew.
"Come on we have training to do." Galen urged him with a wink.
School of Corellia, Third District, History Department
John was traveling down the hallways in the hustle and the bustle of the busy school. The bodies were pressed in together, and he bumped back and forth between the people in his way, saying excuse me embarrassed, getting some looks, some nods, but mostly being ignored as everyone else was also trying to get to their class.
But Jedi had to be courteous above all other things.
He finally made it to his class and was surprised to see he was one of the first ones to arrive in the spacious history room. He was soon joined by beloved teacher, and the first group of fellow classmates. He nodded friendly at all of them, but did not feel like much conversing, as he was still recovering from just getting up.
He sat down at his seat and unloaded the burdensome weight from his shoulders, getting out his supplies, data pads, equipment, stylists.
He had to wait for five minutes until the rest of the class and the teacher would start with the lesson.
Devylyn, the girl he had a crush on, sat down in front of him, he greeted her with a nod and she said hi back.
The class began, the lesson was on the clone wars on some of the more famous battles and maneuvers. It was the end of the war that attracted the note and the interests of historians.
But John had trouble concentrating on it today. He was too busy staring at the back of Devylyn's head.
He felt an odd, warm, unfamiliar stirring in the deep dark pits of his stomach.
He probed it, with the Force and his own experience and realized something.
He had to stifle a gasp as his eyes locked on her blond hair again. He liked her, he realized, he honestly liked her. Completely, fully, maybe even he lo-
"Mr. Zaun?" His teacher said annoyed.
He snapped out of it, his vision cleared and his eyes unglazed. "Yes ma'am."
"Can you tell me what happened in the battle of Christophsis between Anakin Skywalker and Admiral Trench?"
John snorted internally to himself, knowing this from his own studies. "Anakin Skywalker used the stealth ship to sneak up on Trench and blow up his command cruiser. Used his own torpedoes against him too." John did not add if memory serves
"Very good." His teacher drawled, then began to read from the data pad as the holo image on the front of the room resolved itself to keep up.
The back of John's neck bristled as he felt a probing sensation, a strange energy being directed at him.
He twisted around and noticed his former nemesis staring at him slyly. He and John had reached an understanding and were begrudgingly becoming friends. But John could feel that an energy force was eminating from Nealis
Another Location.
Death was running down the street at a sprint, he leapt over a low hanging wall spinning in the air.
He landed hard and stopped, studying the area, feeling out with the Force.
He began to run again. He dodged boulders, leapt across roof tops and spun through the air.
He constantly reached out through the Force. Feeling the sensations around him. He felt exhilarated, energy raced through his body renewing him and causing him to avoid all obstacles.
But he missed, a plank of wood swung down from across the door way he was about to go through. It knocked him out has his vision exploded and was distorted.
He blinked to clear his eyes as Galen moved out from beside his cover.
"Well? Galen arched an eyebrow at his young padawan.
"I failed." Death reacted annoyed.
"Yes you did." Galen replied, hoping that Death himself would continue with his own self assessment. He sighed when it looked as though none was forthcoming. "You failed to use the Force, to be mindful of all that was happening around you. You lost your concentration."
"I understand Master." Death returned bitterly.
"You have to learn to control your emotions, to focus on what is at hand, you got too caught up in the thrill, the pursuit." Galen continued to explain, picking Death up off the ground.
"I understand, but emotion is important, it can be valuable." Death countered, grasping.
"True," Galen stroked his beard. "But it takes a good Jedi to learn to use their emotions like that, and it is not easy. Of the Dark Side that could be." Galen smiled lopsidedly. "But, you have not learned that yet."
"I know Master. I will do better."
Galen grinned. "Good, that is all I can ask." He smiled and clapped Death on the shoulder. "Lunch?"
Death beamed. "Yeah, that sounds good."
Another location.
Death and John were standing side by side in a bare room. In front of them was a table filled with plates, knives, napkins, assorted fruits, and a tapestry covering the whole length. It was polished wood, smooth and rich, brown in color, deep and dark.
The two of them studied it inquisitively.
Then a voice spoke down from the darkness they were engulfed in, the voice of Galen. "Remember, do not over do it, concentrate, but not too hard. The Force is perfectly natural, and so is the ability to summon what you want. Reach out your hand and your thoughts for a piece of fruit."
John and Death nodded together.
They reached out as one.
Almost instantly a piece of fruit shot from the table at John. His eyes widened as he was just barely able to halt it an inch from his face, before plucking it out of the air.
Death's spun off the table and shot towards him at an extreme rate. Death ducked and the fruit arched through the air rolling, it then stopped and sputtered almost falling before continuing more meaningfully over to Death.
Galen came out. "Good for the both of you. But we still need much practice at it, there is a huge difference between manipulating a piece of fruit, and something that may not want to come willingly. Guardians can do fruit easily." Galen grinned.
Death nodded before proceeding to meditate on what was going on.
John got up the courage and sprang after his father.
"Father."
"Yes John?" Galen inquired, turning back to his son to face him curiously.
"Do you know of any other Jedi at the school that I go to?"
"No not to the best of my knowledge." Galen said surprised, then narrowed his eyes. "Why?"
"Oh no reason I was just curious." John replied, trying to keep the sudden fear out of his voice.
There was something afoot at his school, and he was at the heart of it.
