The Thunder Ultrazord flew through hyper-space, and inside the rangers and Leia had been training. They had started by practicing Karate and afterward, Tommy began working with Leia on her Jedi training. Kat and Trini had decided to stay and watch, being fascinated by the abilities that Tommy had. Jason, Zack, and Billy had gone to prepare food.
"Very good, Leia," Tommy said with a smile on his face. The two sat cross-legged facing one another and Tommy had felt her fully relax and open herself to The Force as they meditated.
"Thanks, it's been a challenge to open myself to The Force. Knowing who Vader was, or is, and everything that he has done..."
"I understand Leia," Tommy said as he reached over to her and placed his hand on her shoulder. Every time I use The Force I find myself holding back. I know firsthand what it's like to be a servant of evil. I feel the fear of turning to darkness, but, I process it and refuse to give into it."
"How?"
"By focusing on my friends," he said motioning to Kat and Trini."I know that if I started down the dark path, they would be there to pull me back."
"So, what do I focus on?"
"What is it that gives you the most joy, Leia?"
"My pa... uh adoptive parents. The good times I had with them and everything they taught me."
"Then Focus on them. They taught you to seek freedom for those oppressed by The Empire. Honor that and keep their teaching foremost in your mind." Leia looked at Tommy with an inquisitive look before nodding her head in agreement. "Now that you have learned to open yourself to The Force, we'll move on to a new exercise," he said as he separated his two lightsabers. He then turned the hidden power dial near the bottom of the hilt lowering the weapon's power to its training level. "Until we can get the materials to make your own, you can use this for training purposes," he added as he handed her the weapon.
"Hmm, she said as she flexed her arm as if doing a bicep curl. "It's heavier than I would have thought." Leia turned it in her hand so that the Emiter pointed away from her.
"Okay, press here with your thumb," Tommy instructed as he pointed to the diamond-shaped electrum plate that doubled as the activation switch. With a nod, Leia pressed down on the golden-colored plate and a moment later the blade sprang to life with its distinctive snap-hiss and began to softly hum with power. "Now what?"
Tommy did not answer. Instead, he went to the computer and pressed a few buttons and not long after a single seeker was released from a small panel in the wall making a swooshing sound as it flew threw the air. "Now that you can open yourself to The Force, I want you to seek its guidance to defend yourself from the seeker."
"Alright," Leia said as she adapted a slightly modified Karate stance and held the lightsaber in front of her. She watched the seeker move up, down, left, left again. She shifted her stance to keep the small training device in front of her. She tried to stab at it, only for it to move and fire its stinging yellow beam into Leia's right thigh.
"Open yourself to The Force, Leia, use it for knowledge and defense, not to attack."
"Right," Leia said with a sigh. She adopted her fighting stance one more and carefully watched the seeker move. She kept it in front of her and took a deep breath. For several long minutes, the seeker moved around Leia looking for an opening. It fired its beam again. Leia moved the sword to block the beam as she had seen Obi-Wan do ten years earlier. She was too slow however and the beam struck her shoulder.
"Try again, feel don't think."
"Okay, I'll try," Leia said again raising the lightsaber into a defensive position.
"'Do or do not, there is no try,'" he said quoting Yoda.
"What?" Leia asked confused.
"Something the Jedi Master that instructed me once told me."
"What does that even mean?"
"I believe it means to trust in the will of The Force and allow it to guide you," Kat said breaking the silence that she and Trini had been watching.
"You are correct," Tommy said with a nod. "Relax, and don't trust your eyes, they can deceive you."
"So, you what, what me to do this with my eyes closed?"
"If you need to yes," Tommy said with a slight smile.
"How can I defend myself from the seeker if I can't see it?"
"By trusting The Force and allowing it to guide you."
"Right," Leia said before taking a deep breath. She closed her eyes tight and activated Tommy's lightsaber. She held it up in a defensive position and stood perfectly still as she listened to the seeker make its wooshing sound as it moved through the air. Her arms moved as if by themselves just before the seeker fired and the green blade met the yellow bolt. Then a second, third, and a fourth before Leia deactivated the lightsaber, she looked shocked. "That was incredible, but, I don't know if I could do it for a long period or against multiple enemies," she said as she handed Tommy his deactivated lightsaber.
"With time, training, and patience Leia, you will be able to," he said as he took his lightsaber and re-adjusted the power. He glanced over at Kat and took notice of the lightweight white scarf she had worn. Much more faction than function. "Kat, can I borrow your scarf?"
"Um sure," she said as she removed the scarf and walked over to Tommy handing it to him.
"Thanks," he said before going to reprogram the computer to release a new seeker every couple of minutes. He tied Kat's scarf like a blindfold, Then activated his lightsaber. After several minutes, the three women watched in shock. Tommy was surrounded by seekers. He spun in place, his lightsabers a blur of motion around him dodging or blocking bolt after bolt after bolt. He flipped clear of the seekers using The Force to push the devices hard against the far wall of the training room. They fell to the floor with metal clanks.
An hour later, the rangers and Leia were in the cockpit as The Thunder Ultrazord dropped out of Hyperspace and approached their destination. Following the coordinates Master Nu had put in his mind Tommy piloted the massive Zord past a large castle that was in pristine condition despite its years of abandonment and looked like something right out of a fantasy novel. The central keep which was composed of a large rectangular building with five spires, the central spire being the tallest was made of grey stone and sat on top of a flattened mountain peak. Around the courtyard was an inner wall that looked to be about a hundred feet tall. There was a small gap then an outer wall that was roughly half the size of the inner. As Tommy moved the Zord around the castle, at first glance he thought the bridge connecting the castle to a gatehouse on the far side of a large ravine was out. It was only after rotating the Zord's orientation that he saw that the draw bridge to the castle was raised.
"Billy, run a scan, I don't want any surprises when we go into the castle," Tommy said as he began looking for a place to land.
"Affirmative," Billy said nodding his head. Following guidance from The Fore, Tommy set the Zord down at the base of the mountain the gatehouse sat on. "Tommy, the scans show no life forms inside, however, there are several small power signatures."
"Thanks, Billy," Tommy said before they all left The Ultrazord."
"Man, we're going to have to add a better parking spot," Zack said with a laugh as he and the others looked up the long, steep winding path to the gatehouse.