"Students need to be continually exposed to content that is slightly more advanced than their comprehension. This is how minds grow - by having to reach beyond present capability. This is how everything grows - by having to reach beyond."
― Hendrith Vanlon Smith Jr
~0~
During the era of the Galactic Republic, individuals who possessed a sensitivity to the Force were recognized early on in their youth and transported to Coruscant for their initiation into Jedi Temple training.
At the beginning of Jedi instruction, emphasis is put on developing fundamental abilities such as bodily conditioning, deep thought, and mastery of lightsaber combat. Pupils also explore the past and principles of the Jedi Order, gaining knowledge about self-control, compassion, and stability in all areas of existence.
Once these rudimentary abilities are mastered, students progress to more advanced training concentrated on refining their aptitude to utilize the Force. This involves telekinesis, precognition, and mind manipulation. During their education, learners must exhibit mastery over their emotions by controlling them and avoiding temptation toward the dark side of the Force which embodies fear, anger, and hatred.
When a youngling shows exceptional skills in their training, they are advanced to the next level of Padawans and matched with either a Jedi Master or a lower-ranking Jedi Knight. Traditionally, it was the responsibility of a Padawan's master to select their apprentice, but amid the Clone Wars, the Jedi High Council took on this task.
Cal Kestis, Jedi Knight – a rank obtained, not through Jedi trials, but in the field – walks with folded arms through patches of grass; "The first step in learning your abilities is to understand the basic principles of the Force and how it connects us in the universe."
Sitting before him is Kata Akuna.
The ten-year-old girl sits in a small open space with her legs crossed and her hands resting on her knees. She looks at him with the wide eye curiosity of her youth.
"The Force is what gives a Jedi his power," he explains, keeping his pace, "It's an energy field created by all living things. It surrounds us and penetrates us; it binds the galaxy together."
She gives him a raised brow, side-eyed look. "How?"
"Life itself gave birth to the Force," he explains, hopeful, "hence, the presence of it in all of us. There are certain individuals who possess great abilities that allow them to manipulate this Force. We call them force-sensitives... and those people go onto train as Jedi."
"Oh." She pauses, taking this opportunity to digest and comprehend the information she has absorbed. "Papa didn't really talk about the Force before." Kata frowns and then directs her gaze toward her shoes for a brief moment before lifting her chin again. "He was a Jedi, like you... wasn't he?"
Cal felt a painful tightening sensation in his chest before he took careful consideration of his answer yet all he could say was, "Yes, he was."
He is still fraught with guilt and sadness over the passing of Bode Akuna, a former Jedi who died two years ago by Cal's hands. He feels uneasy, embarrassed, and nervous about the actions that led to this tragedy that, frankly, didn't even need to happen. Even now, he finds it difficult to make eye contact with Kata due to these lingering emotions.
Kata has come to terms with the loss of her father and no longer feels sorrow over his passing. She recognized that he had changed from the person she once knew, so she accepted his fate even before he died. At that time, she grieved for him. This understanding enabled her to move forward and alleviate Cal's guilt-ridden conscience.
Cal refrained from talking about Bode because it was causing him distress, and he believed that avoiding the topic would benefit Kata.
However - the reason for his silence was self-serving.
Kata, sensing his discomfort, apologies; "I think we should continue with my training now, Master Kestis."
Master Kestis – not Jedi Knight, not Jedi Padawan; but Master.
He was given a title that he never expected anyone else to use, and he wasn't certain if he could become accustomed to it. However, it filled him with immense pride which he allowed himself to enjoy briefly.
Cal smirks while crossing his arms over his chest and says, "Okay then." Even though the rock was not comfortable enough to sit on, he managed to make do with it and maintained his concentration. He then instructs Akuna to carry on by saying, "Please proceed, Padawan Akuna."
Duchess Satine was in the midst of conversation with Mandalore's prime minister when one of her advisors burst into the room, looking flustered and urgent. The distressed and agitated demeanor of this advisor immediately caused an abrupt cessation in conversation as all present turned their focus towards this unanticipated disturbance.
"I apologize for the interruption, Your Grace," a voice called out from the rear of the throne room chamber. "However, we have a pressing matter that requires your prompt consideration."
Satine rises from her seat, saying, "Please forgive me momentarily, gentlemen."
She walks briskly from the room with the advisor at her heels. As soon as they exit the throne room, he begins to speak with great urgency, his words tumbling out in a muddled jargon; nevertheless, their import is unmistakable.
Without pausing for a moment, Satine proceeds to hurry past him with an air of haste that characterizes her gait as she traverses through the corridors of the palace.
Reaching the end of a long hallway, she pauses – the screaming and hysterics coming from her bedroom is distinctive. Before addressing it, she takes a moment to survey the group of palace guards assembled nearby and observes the expression of sheer terror on her handmaiden's face.
Satine went in, despite protests. "I – I don't know what happened, duchess," her handmaiden is explaining.
The duchess narrowly avoids a thrown projectile – she side-stepped free, and observe it collide with the wall, where it shattered, and fell to the floor in pieces.
Satine looks towards the direction from which the object was thrown.
The center of her room resembles a war zone, with shattered trinkets, torn documents and upturned seats scattered about. Amid this chaos, her toddler is having a massive tantrum.
As Satine draws closer, she observes other objects floating around. They sway and twirl in unpredictable ways, as if being moved by an invisible force that has a mind of its own. Some of the smaller objects dart around, while the larger ones drift lazily through the air. The objects seem to be at the mercy of a wild and untamed energy, which pulls them in every direction without any rhyme or reason.
Satine and her handmaiden watch with growing fascination as plates and cups collide mid-air, books topple off shelves and papers flutter about like confetti.
As her toddler continued to scream, Satine's palace guards have filtered inside, "Wait, no!"
"Your highness... " Riya approached.
The handmaiden and guards are ordered to leave the room by the duchess, and although they express their objections, they comply.
With the room cleared, Satine shifts her focus to her son.
The toddler's face is scrunched up with redness and his eyes are puffy and filled with tears. He's wailing loudly, his little body shaking with sobs. His mouth is quivering, and he has droplets of saliva running down their chin.
She brings herself to his level. "Cal, sweetie – it's momma, hey, listen... it's okay. You're okay. Everything is okay."
The intensity of Cal's shouting gradually decreases and the items that were hovering around him suddenly plummet to the ground.
His cries soon dissolve into soft whimpers.
As the training continued, Cal's eyes suddenly went distant. He bit his lip and looked down at his hands, which were shaking slightly. It was as if he had been transported back in time to a painful memory that had long been buried.
He was lost in thought, completely distracted from the present moment. His breathing became shallow and rapid, and his face twisted in pain. It was clear that the memory had hit him like a tidal wave, overwhelming all of his senses at once. Cal couldn't think straight or focus on anything other than the intense emotional pain he was feeling.
For a few moments, there was nothing else in the room except for his memories and the agony they brought with them. Eventually, though, he managed to pull himself out of it – but not before leaving a bewildered Kata staring, and Cal realized she'd been shaking him.
He blinks repeatedly; his vision slowly began to clear. The haze that had previously clouded his sight dissipated, revealing a world that was now sharper and more defined.
He smiles reassuringly as Kata's profile became more defined. "Hey, Kata – it's okay, I'm okay, everything's okay." Cal seemed uncertain of himself with that statement.
"What happened?" She sounded worried.
"I'm not really sure, kid." He pushed himself off the rock and being meandering his way back to the Mantis.
Kata shouted after him, "Wait! – Where are you going?"
"Just – " he paused a moment, then, " – inside, okay? Stay out here and just... I just need a moment."
~/~/~
Satine appeared hesitant, conflicted, and indecisive. She was pacing back and forth, frowning, with a worried expression on her face. Her body language suggested uncertainty – shoulders slumped, hands nervously tapping at her hips.
She seemed troubled by the situation.
Cal is lying on his back with his arms and legs stretched out. His chest rises and falls rhythmically as he breathes softly in his peaceful slumber. Instead of dozing in his crib, he's sleeping in his mother's bed.
Occasionally, he may make small sounds or movements, but overall, he remains still and relaxed in his comfortable nest.
Satine is appreciative that her son sleeps deeply, as it allows her to engage in introspection. She was not caught off guard by his sudden outburst or its manifestation. Although a part of her had pretended it would never occur, she now acknowledges the reality of the situation when she looks at him.
Riya is also there, and she's less quiet about it; "This isn't good, my lady. The Mandalorians – once they find out the child is... one of them—"
The duchess halts and directs a glare toward her handmaiden. "One of them?" Satine appears displeased, with her eyebrows furrowed and eyes narrowed in intensity. "You refer to the Jedi I assume?" she questions.
"Well, yes, duchess. You must be aware of the anti-Jedi sentiment in Mandalore."
Satine rolls a deep sigh. "Yes, I am well aware the Jedi are not perceived well by Mandalore nor its people. Their war with the Mandalorian people left our world uninhabitable outside of hermetically sealeddomecities... "
She looks back at her sleeping child; tears now swimming in her eyes.
Riya spoke again. "My lady, the child – he can't stay here..."
As the emotions took over, Cal's heart began to pound with a fierce intensity, each beat echoing through the body like thunder. His chest heaved and tightened with each breath as if struggling to contain the overwhelming surge of feeling within.
Sweat dripped down his temples and his palms grew slick with moisture, while every nerve in his body seemed to pulse with electricity – the physical manifestation of the raw power of emotion.
He started to feel a total loss of control, as if he were going crazy.
Cal breezed past Greez, and past Merrin – neither of them given a glance, but he imagines they stare at him; confused – and makes a bee line for the furthest part of the ship. He hands hit the metal workbench as he begins to hyperventilate. His muscles become tense or shaky, and he feels lightheaded.
Merrin is visibly anxious as she trails him closely mere moments later; "Cal? Cal! Please communicate with me. What's happening?" She touches a hand to his shoulder, but he doesn't react.
Greez, looking worried, slowly moves closer but suddenly freezes to silently observe from afar. A small something rushes by him – Kata, and he calls out her name but she's too quick to grab.
Cal hears his name called: "Cal!" but can't make heads or tails of the direction it's coming from.
Suddenly, his legs give out beneath him, and he collapses onto the ground, gasping for air. His body shakes with tremors as he tries to calm himself down, but the panic seems to grip him tighter with every passing moment.
Merrin seizes him and gradually descends, supporting both of them and holding his head to prevent it from hitting the ground.
Kata lowers herself to their level on the floor and begs, "Cal! Oh, please - Cal..." Her eyes fill with tears and her throat constricts.
The look she gave the girl was brief; Merrin's primary focus was on Cal. She shifted her attention back to him, drawing in a steady breath to keep herself calm.
Cal's chest heaves with each breath, and his throat makes a wheezing or gasping sound. The effort to draw in air is visible on his face. His whole body feels tense and rigid, trying to pull in more air. It appears as if every breath is a struggle, leaving Cal feeling exhausted and anxious.
Merrin advises him to breathe slowly and evenly. She places her hand on his chest, keeping track of every inhale and exhale while observing her hand move up and down in sync with Cal's breaths.
As his breathing regulated, Merrin smiled; "You are alright now, Cal."
"Merrin?" He blinks, steadily.
"Yes, Cal. I am here." Her thumb casually rubs his chest.
Cal made a groaning sound as he slowly sat up.
Merrin placed her hand on the middle of his back, specifically between his shoulder blades, and used it to assist him in getting up.
He pressed the heel of his palm to his forehead. "Wha – "
"You tell me, Cal," Merrin added, looking perplexed.
Greez joined them. "Had us here all worried 'bout ya, kid. Came barreling in here like a crazed varactyl or something."
"We'll just pretend I know what a... varactyl, or whatever, is." He cast a strange glance at Greez before scanning his surroundings, and soon realized that Kata was observing him with her curious, open eyes. "Hey, kid – I'm okay, I think..."
Merrin pipes in; "I believe what you experienced is called a panic attack."
"Oh, I –"
"You have had these attacks before, yes?"
Cal sits up straighter and sighs, deep. "Yes – not since the Jedi Purge, though." The memory is too painful for him to bear, so he shuts his eyes tightly and tries to focus on anything else.
"Can you explain what you saw?"
He gave her a look, brows knitted together. "A memory."