Disclaimer: Really?

It's been nearly a year and a half since the Council made their decision to allow me to become an Initiate. I turned five a few days after, and everything seemed to go so fast from there. Normally, an initiate was sorted into Clans by Caretakers who used the Force to group them together based on certain attributes they possessed, such as courage, cunning, and intelligence. I was a special case. Since clans are usually made with children that are under the age of three, I was placed with an already existing one that was smaller than most. Apparently these kids had been placed together based on loyalty. A majority of them were a year older than me, and so had already known each other for 3-4 years at this point, basically their entire lives. Clans usually took courses together and would eat together at the refectories.

The classes weren't all that bad. Force theory and Galactic History were a breeze for me, and I was able to catch up to where my Clan was in no time. I'd spent so much time Googling things about the Force and Star Wars lore in my previous life that it bordered on unhealthy.

However, not everything was so natural for me. Being at the Jedi Temple was like being enrolled in one of those elite private schools rich kids went to. You were expected to be smarter, work harder, and learn faster than anyone else. This was especially prevalent with math and science.

Math wasn't to hard for me since I had a solid base in college, but that's why I was able to keep up. We were five year olds doing differential equations and quantum physics. The bad one, however, was biology. Over 1,000 worlds were a part of the Republic, most with their own unique species, and we were expected to learn the anatomy and physiology of all of them. Even with seven years, which is when we were expected to complete the Initiate Trials, there was so much information being thrown at us that it made med school seem like a bit of light reading.

I didn't even try in Hyperspace theory. Maybe if my mind was a blank slate, I'd be able to grasp it a bit little easier, but I had 20 years worth of memory from a universe where it was physically impossible to reach the speed of light. Here, they travelled hundreds of thousands of light years in days.

One of the things that I was surprised that I enjoyed so much was meditating. As initiates, we were expected to set aside time for five sessions of meditation every day. I usually got closer to ten. If I wasn't in a class, doing homework, or doing my best to avoid Vokara, I was meditating. I'd gotten really good at letting the Force fill me up and falling deep into my meditation. I also got very good at setting alarms before I began. I always felt refreshed after meditation, way better than I did after sleeping, unless I got to sleep in on the weekends. It was about 8 months ago when I found out the reason for this. Every initiate has a mediation session with Master Yoda every 6 months until you either pass the Trials or age out. Most of the people in my Clan say it's not even really meditation, but Master Yoda talking to you to get to know you better.

That wasn't the case with our sessions. He'd ask questions every now and then, mostly pleasantries, but the first time I met with him he just kind of observed me while I meditated. He said I did well and then it was over. The second time, however, he stopped my meditation about twenty minutes into the meeting, and explained to me that he was pretty sure I was using a very basic version of Force Revitalize, a technique that hadn't been seen in the Order in nearly four millennia. Apparently, regular Force healing just fixed wounds, but couldn't restore energy or reduce fatigue. Revitalize not only eliminated fatigue, muscle and otherwise, but, in its more advanced forms, could could help the body operate at peak efficiency as well as sustain the body with the Force. So I apparently tapped into the advanced version during my 6 hour meditation.

On top of that, he said that when I get to my deepest level of meditation, I sometimes activate my Force Projection. This is what happened when I was able to see what everyone was doing the first time meditated. It also confirmed my suspicions that Yoda did indeed see me when I was spying on him in his room. Apparently Jedi use this technique to scout areas that are dangerous.

I excelled in just about every aspect of Force training, save one. Telekinesis eluded me no matter how much effort I put into it. It took me thirty minutes straight of concentration to just slide a datapad across my desk. Normally, this would still be incredible since I used to not be able to move anything at all, but it was pretty frustrating when my classmates were able to levitate multiple at a time without little to no difficulty. It confounded my instructors since based on my Force Potential — aka my midichlorian count — I should be far outstripping my classmates.

This was true, however, in every other aspect of the Force. I could guess images on a datapad at 100 percent accuracy, I could make myself much faster and stronger, and I was also incredibly adept at resisting mental probes. I seemed to never fatigue either, since I could just use Revitalize to refresh my body.

I did have limits, however. Just like in pretty much every Star Wars game that involved the Force at all, I seemed to have a finite pool of Force energy before I exhausted myself and either had to meditate or sleep. Eating something seemed to give me a minor boost to my reserves as well. But, over the last year or so I'd become so enamored with how the Force felt that I literally immersed myself in it every second possible. The first couple of months saw me being exhausted before lunch time, but there's been a noticeable improvement in how long I can channel the Force continuously since then. I now could make it all the way to dinner before feeling like I needed a break.

And boy, did being constantly connected to the Force have some advantages. It seemed to encourage growth, both physical and mental. At six years old I was just over four and half feet tall, far above the average for a human boy. And, despite growing so quickly, I was also proportional. It also helped my memory. I was having no issue memorizing the anatomy of hundreds of species now, and math might as well have been a personal finance class with how easily I blew through it.

On top of all this, however, there was one place where I was so far and above my classmates that I had to move two years ahead of my clan in order to keep improving; the martial arts of being a Jedi. Hand to hand and lightsaber training had started several months ago, and I took to it like a fish to water. Even from the first lesson, it was clear I was a prodigy. Stuff that took my classmates several sessions to get comfortable with I had mastered within minutes of seeing it demonstrated. After the first week, I was moved into a class of seven year olds, after the first month, I was placed with the eight year olds.

I was good at hand to hand, but was an artist with a lightsaber in my hands. I naturally was able to deflect a vast majority of the training lasers shot at us by our training remotes right off the bat, and after a week of instruction, I hadn't been touched since. We were much too young for our instructors to trust us to duel each other yet, but the few times I'd crossed blades with a teacher or peer instructor I'd been able to surprise with my agility and strength. And I couldn't get enough of it. Any chance I got, I was bugging Obi-Wan, Bant, Master Koth, even Quinlan Vos, anyone who would take me to the training room so that I could work on my katas and footwork.

All initiates were instructed in Form I, or Shii-Cho. This was the most basic form, and was basically a training form used to build a basis of lightsaber combat before an initiate became a Padawan and chose a form to specialize in. It had been six months since I began learning Shii-Cho, and I quickly became bored with it. So, whenever I got someone to bring me to the training room I asked them to show me the beginning steps of whatever form they had specialized in. Obi-Wan and Bant were both practitioners of Form III, Soresu. This was a form that relied almost exclusively on defense until the user could find an opening to end the conflict, and was mainly used against enemies that had blasters, though was equally effective at defending against lightsabers, though the lack of offense made fighting another lightsaber wielder a bit of a struggle. It is said, however, that a true master of Soresu is nearly invincible. I picked up the first few katas of this stance rather quickly, and immediately knew this would be one of my main stances I'd use when using a lightsaber.

Master Koth was a master of Form IV, Ataru. This was a far more aggressive stance than Soresu. It relied heavily on powerful strikes and Force-assisted acrobatics to move around the battlefield. I was able to get the first kata of this form down with minor difficulty. I wanted to be proficient in every form of lightsaber combat eventually, but I felt awkward while in this stance, and knew that this was a form I wouldn't use all that often.

It was very rare that I was able to convince Quinlan to take me to the training rooms. The first time I was able to and asked him to show me some of his chosen lightsaber form, he harshly said no. Quinlan was a practitioner of Vapaad, a variant of Form VII, or Juuyo, created by none other than Master Mace Windu. He wouldn't say anything other than it was forbidden for any that haven't been Knighted to learn. But, I knew that Vapaad used one's inner darkness and turned it on your enemy. It was especially effective against Dark Side users because it just turned all the darkness they were using back on themselves. However, he did show me the beginning steps of learning Juuyo, which was far less aggressive, but still considered the most ferocious of the recognized forms.

Amid all the learning and growing, I had found time to slightly connect with some of my classmates. The mental age difference made some things difficult, but I was growing accustomed to it. The most tolerable of my classmates was easily Darra Thel-Tanis, a 7 year old girl whom I shared Force Theory and Galactic History with since I'd been moved up a year in both of those classes. She was far and above more mentally mature than any 7 year old had any right to be, which was probably why it was easier for me to get along with her. Her name immediately sounded familiar to me, but it took me a few days to finally remember where I'd heard of her before. She's a secondary character in the Jedi Padawan book series that details Obi-Wan's and Anakin's adventures between episodes I and II. In the books she tragically dies when she uses a faulty lightsaber and ends up getting shot. Hopefully that's one of the many things that I can change by being here. Another boon of getting to know her was finally knowing exactly where I was at in the timeline. She's the same age as Anakin, so I have roughly two years before the events of Episode I begin. In that time, I'd also come to terms that I was going to be to young to really affect anything that would happen during that time. An eight year old initiate wouldn't hold enough clout to be able to make a difference. I'd just have to bide my time and continue to train myself for events that I'd be in a better position to change.

Speaking of training, I should go see if I can drag Obi-Wan down the to the lightsaber rooms.

Snap-hiss!

Oh man, even 7 months after the first time I turned a lightsaber on, that noise still gives me shivers. Even though it's just a training saber, the weight and feel of it in my hands still felt like the coolest thing that's ever happened to me. However, I had to cut my nerdgasm short because I had a much more pressing matter to deal with.

I was in the middle of my lightsaber class, about to face off with a peer instructor. Nothing to unusual. I'd actually grown quite the reputation while taking this class, having quickly shown that even though I was training with initiates a few years my senior I was still the alpha dog in the group. We consisted of 8 and 9 year olds with me as the sole exception, and as such had just recently began dueling one another. Even with my disadvantage in experience, I had a spotless record. I just couldn't be touched. I even became a minor celebrity in the Temple when I disarmed an overly confident Padawan who'd come to be a peer instructor. I stuck with Shii-Cho when I was dueling with my classmates so as to not have an unfair advantage, but alternated between Soresu — which I'd become quite proficient at — and what I knew of Juuyo whenever I squared off with a teacher or peer instructor. This match was going to be a little different because of who I was facing. About ten yards away from me stood none other than a young Aayla Secura, who had just recently been taken as a padawan by Quinlan Vos, who was himself here to observe the bout. We'd actually drawn an unusually large crowd for a simple practice duel and our instructor had surprisingly been asked by the current Jedi Battlemaster Anoon Bondara himself to move the fight to the auditorium that was used for the Padawan Trials. Apparently word had got around that the 6 year old lightsaber genius was going to face off against Secura, who had quickly gained her own reputation as well.

Master Bondara, who had offered to personally officiate our fight, stepped up between us.

"Remember, no strikes to the head, no outward use of the Force. The match ends when either of the combatants are disarmed or a killing blow is landed," he said, glancing briefly at the two of us. "Are both fighters ready, salute and I will begin the duel."

Immediately Aayla lifted her lightsaber vertically to right in front of her face, and then brought it down to her side with a flourish, reminiscent of what Dooku did before each of his fights.

I took my time, however, and closed my eyes. Breathing deeply, I fully immersed myself in the Force, making sure that I was calm and centered. When I was ready, I opened my eyes and repeated the salute that Aalya gave me.

"Begin!" Bondara shouted without no warning whatsoever.

Instead of being surprised,however, I immediately dropped into the starting stance of Soresu, my lightsaber in my right hand, held back and above my head, the blade pointed forward, with my left hand fully extended forward, palm open. I didn't know what form Aayla used so I decided on using a wait and see approach, opting to let her make the first move. Big mistake.

Nearly faster than the eye could see, Aayla lept the ten yards between us and came at me with a two handed over the head strike.

Instead of trying to take the full brunt of the strike on my lightsaber, I sidestepped to the right and angled my blade down and to the left with both hands, cause the force to be shunted off center, reducing the force of the hit. Aayla spun around and slashed low at my legs, which I easily deflected while taking a few steps back to gain a little more space. I was granted no reprieve however, as she quickly closed the distance to try again. This time, she threw a feint low at my legs and quickly turned it into a vertical slash at my midsection. I didn't even bother trying to deflect it and sidestepped to my left, again taking a couple of steps back.

The action paused briefly, with the two of us eyeing each other up. I could tell she was impressed with my defense, but I knew what I had seen so far was not even close to her going all out. This had just been the probing of my guard, feeling out my skill with the blade. If I was going to have any chance at prevailing in this fight, I'd have to quickly come up with a strategy that would give me an opening.

Again, I waited for her to make the first move, calmly waiting, looking for anything, a twitch of a muscle or a glance of the eyes, that would betray her next attack.

She lunged at me, stabbing her lightsaber towards my midsection. This was the first opening I'd seen so far. The move I had in mind was a little aggressive for a practitioner of Soresu, but I had worked on adapting the form to fit my other strength.
Just before her attack landed, I batted the blade aside and spun with my swing, coming around with a sharp left elbow. Had we been the same size, I would have nailed her right in the back of the head. Unfortunately, even though I was quite tall for a 6-almost-7 year old, I only managed to tag her in the back of the rib cage. I'd landed the first blow of the duel.

I didn't stop moving, though. There was no way the blow disoriented her enough to stop her from counter attacking. I immediately front flipped forward, out of range of any attack, and quickly spun around to face her once more.

I was not ready for how quickly she was in my face. Nor was I ready for the ferocity of the attack I'd have to endure.

I blocked a high slash aimed at my head, and immediately had to block another at my hip when she used the momentum to spin around and attack again. She flourished her blade and again stabbed at my midsection. Instead of using the same counter twice, which most assuredly would mean defeat in most duels, I deflected her attack high and attacked with a straight kick right underneath her arm.

I didn't give her enough credit though.

Almost as if this was what she had wanted me to do, she spun around the kick, and while my lightsaber was still out of position, easily landed a strike on my upper left thigh.

While I was still trying to figure out what had just happened, she flipped over my head and landed another strike on my right shoulder, dangerously close to my neck, which would be considered a kill blow.

However, she wasn't ready for how quick my reflexes were, and I spun around and landed a solid back kick with my right leg to her midsection that caused her to stumble back a few steps. The wound on my left leg screamed in protest, but it had given me space to regroup.

And not only that, but I had gained insight on her fighting style. The flourishes, the spins, and finally, the flip all helped figure out that she was using the Ataru stance, which relied on acrobatics and intimidation. With this information, I was able to decide on what course of action to take.

She was clearly far more advanced at Ataru than I was at Soresu. Had we been at the same level, I would have been able to just hold my ground until she tired out. I couldn't rely on that, however, so I needed to change my approach.

I adjusted my feet, just narrower than shoulder width with my left foot forward, and changed to a two handed grip, with the lightsaber held back by my right shoulder, with the blade pointed straight forward. This was the starting stance of Juyo.

Some murmurs ran through the crowd. I'm sure they were surprised that I was proficient in Soresu at such a young age, but for me to also know Juyo was unheard of.

Instead of being surprised, Aayla just smirked and readied herself.

I abandoned my cautious approach and quickly closed the distance with Aayla, throwing a diagonal two handed slash towards her feet, causing her to leap over my head in a twisting flip.

The slash was just a feint though. WIth how relient Ataru is on mobility and verticality, I knew that this type of attack would cause her to leap over me. She wasn't ready for me to plant my foot in the ground and switch directions so quickly, nearly beating her to where she landed, a look of surprise on her face. I quickly started attacking her from all angles, doing my best to add as much strength to each strike without sacrificing precision.

I was basically on auto pilot with my attacks, though, all my attention focused on seeing…. there! A slight tensing of her legs, signaling that she was going to attempt to jump away from me to give her space. My next strike was a horizontal one. However, instead of aiming for anywhere on her, my target was her lightsaber itself. I used more strength than normal on this strike, locking our blades together, and shoulder charged right past her guard, driving my shoulder straight into her solar plexus, causing her to huff as all the oxygen vacated her lungs. At the same time that I did this, I placed my right foot right behind her left leg, preventing her from stepping back to maintain her balance. Instead, she tripped over my foot and fell backwards, landing on her back.

I quickly closed with her prone form, knowing this was the best shot I had at ending the duel.

I had forgotten about one thing though. There was a reason Twi'lek women were so highly sought after as dancers.

In an amazing display of flexibility, Ayala bent backwards as she was falling and caught herself with her hands, using the momentum to turn the fall into a backwards cartwheel.

A cartwheel that ended up with her foot kicking me square underneath my chain, causing my teeth to clack together as my mouth was forcibly closed.

I saw stars, stumbling back a few steps as I tried to gain my bearings. Just as my vision began to refocus, I saw a blue blade coming right for me.

Thanks to reflex more than anything, I was able to catch the blow on my own blade, resulting in a saber lock. One that I was quickly losing.

I may have been a very big kid for my age, and very powerful in the Force, but she still had several years on me and my glaring wound on my shoulder was not doing me any favors.

She was finally able to push her blade past the neutral point of our saber lock, meaning that she could at any moment disengage and have a clear shot at me. I knew I had to do something right now if I didn't wanna lose, and I only had one trick left, one that would normally be suicide in a lightsaber battle.

I shut my lightsaber off.

There were several gasps from the crowd as my blade deactivated. Aayla had been putting her full body weight behind her blade to force mine aside, meaning when the resistance of my lightsaber disappeared, she stumbled forward, nearly falling over.

It was enough, though, as I brought my knee up to meet her, striking her in the gut very hard. While she was still doubled over my leg, I quickly shifted my lightsaber hilt to my left hand, looped my right hand around her right arm, under her armpit and up until my hand was at the back of her neck, and then dropped.

We hit the floor with my body on top of hers, with me still holding her arm at that awkward angle to prevent her from striking me with her blade.

I activated the hilt still in my left hand and used it to tap her on the forearm, causing her hand to spasm and drop her lightsaber, the dead man's switch causing it to deactivate before it hit the floor.

I unlooped my arm and sat up, straddling her from behind at the waist, and held my lightsaber to the back of her neck.

"The match is over!" Barked Bondara. "Padawan Secura has been disarmed and incapacitated, Padawan Kelborn is the victor."

Holy shit.

Did that just happen?

Holy shit!

Some light applause sounded from the audience that had gathered to watch us, with many surprised and impressed faces to go around.

I felt some shifting that reminded me that I was still on top of my opponent. I got off, allowing Aayla to roll over with a wince.

"Owwwww…. I think you almost ripped my arm out of its socket with that last move you little schutta," she moaned as she sat up. "I can't believe you actually shut your lightsaber off in the middle of a duel. I thought I had you after I clocked you with my foot."

"You nearly did," I said, as I extended a hand to help her up. "Were it not for a crazy amount of luck and trickery on my part the duel would have ended right there. It was a very stupid and desperate move, but apparently some deity somewhere decided to take pity on me."

She accepted my hand and I hoisted her to her feet.

"Oh, you don't give yourself enough credit. That was some crazy lightsaber skill, and you really threw me off when you switched stances mid duel. I didn't expect someone your age to know both Soresu and Juyo."

"I don't think anyone did, Padawan Secura."

We turned and saw Master Bondara approaching us.

"That was some fine swordsmanship, from both of you. A well fought duel. Congratulations, Initiate Kelborn. These halls haven't seen a youngster with your skill in many a year. And Secura, you show much promise as well. I'm sure your master is proud."

"Thank you, Master," we said in tandem, giving him a bow. After that, he walked off, heading towards Quinlan.

I turned back to Aayla. "That was by far the most fun I'd had dueling with someone else. I may have to come and bug you about training together some more," I said.

"You're damn right we are going to have a rematch! You know how embarrassing it's going to be when my friends hear I lost to an Initiate? Don't go getting a big head though, I promise that trick won't work a second time." And with that, she turned and headed toward where her master and Bondara were talking.

I finally had a second to breath, and finally realized how exhausted and sore I was. I could also tell that my Force reserves were significantly drained. Apparently being fully tapped into the Force during battle had a much larger cost than normal. Go figure.

My wounds on my shoulder and leg were throbbing something fierce, and I was sure that I was going to have a nice purple bruise on my chin this time tomorrow. I hadn't felt like this since I first started actively calling on the Force. I was in rough shape.

But, I decided to take some pride out of what I had just accomplished. Regardless of how much luck I needed to win, I had still defeated Aayla Secura, who was probably twice my age at this point. I was definitely doing something right.

"So, this is the young one you've been telling me about, Bant," said a deep voice from behind me.

I turned around and was surprised to find Bant and…. ohmygodthat'sKitFisto!

I couldn't help it. My brain just shut down as I nerdgasmed everywhere. I couldn't believe it, this guy was a legend, far and above my favorite Jedi of all time. He hardly got any screen time during the movies — a Goddamn shame — but any of the books that he was in instantly became some of my favorites.

"Um… Tyris, are you ok," Bant asked, looking at me with concern and slight amusement.

I realized that instead of saying hi or introducing myself I'd just been standing there staring at Master Fisto with my mouth hanging open.

I immediately flushed in embarrassment. I cleared my throat and gathered my bearings.

"Oh yeah, I'm good, Bant. Nothing to worry about!" I nervously laughed with a hand behind my head. I turned to Master Fisto and gave him a deep bow. "It is a pleasure to meet you, Master, my name is Tyris Kelborn."

"Ah, well met Tyris. My name is Kit Fisto," he replied, giving a bow in return. "That was some display of swordsmanship, little one. Aayla is considered a lightsaber prodigy in her own right, take pride in your victory."

"In an actual lightsaber battle she would probably have defeated me the second she struck me. I sort of cheated and got very lucky," I said, modestly.

"Well that last maneuver was very… bold, do not mistake strategic thinking and cunning for luck. Besides, there is no such thing as luck when you have the Force as your ally."

Oh. My. Christ. He's so damn cool!

"Anyhow," he continued, "while I greatly enjoyed watching the bout, I do have some pressing needs I have to tend to. Bant, do not forget we are meeting with the Council in the morning. It seems we may be slated for a long term mission." Bant nodded at him. "Farewell, Tyris. I hope to meet again, we all are anxious to see what the future holds for you." And with that, he about faced and exited the auditorium.

I turned to Bant, but out of the corner of my eye caught a flash of red. It seemed that Darra was waiting to speak to me as well after I was done with Bant.

Over the last year and however many months of getting to know her, I'd picked up on some of the more subtle Mon Calamari social cues, so I recognized the knowing look that Bant was giving me when I turned to speak with her.

"What, why are you looking at me like that? I just beat a girl twice my age in a duel, you should be congratulating me!" I said, confused as to what was going on.

"You didn't say a word when Master Kit called you little one," She said with a smirk. "Anyone else, even Master Koth, that calls you that gets lip from you."

"Yes, well... he's... just cooler than the rest of you, so I'll allow him to get away with it," I stuttered, unprepared for her to pick up on my admiration of Master Fisto so easily.

"Oh, sure! If you ask me it almost looked like someone just met his idol."

"Listen, woman! Did you not just see what I did? I might be tired, but I've still got enough left in the tank to set you straight!" I shouted, shaking my fist at her. She just laughed.

"Oh no! My fins are shaking in my boots!" She said, rolling her eyes. "Anyways, I just want you to know how amazing you did and that I am very proud of you. I know Obi-Wan would say the same if he could be here."

I instantly sobered up. "Have you heard anything?" I quietly asked.

"The last I heard he was alive and well. They were getting ready to come home when a new mercenary group showed up gunning for their charge. I'm not worried, though, and neither should you be. Master Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan are two of the most talented Jedi the Order has to offer. They will return," she said, with a reassuring smile. "Now, I'm sure you are exhausted, and I have things to get ready before I meet with the Council tomorrow. I will come say bye before I leave for our mission. But, I think there is a young lady over there that has been patiently waiting for you attention, best not to make her wait any longer."

Bant began to walk away before turning back around and adding, "Oh, and please make sure to stop by the Halls soon. Don't make Master Vokara come and find you again." And with that, she left.

A shiver ran down my spine. Vokara Che was without a doubt the scariest person I've ever met, and for some reason her ire always seemed to be directed towards me.

"Tyris!"

I turned and finally gave my attention to the only peer that I actually considered a friend. "Hi, Darra," I said, giving her a small wave, feeling the deep rooted exhaustion start to seep in.

"That's all you've got to say? Are you kidding?" She asked incredulously. "You just beat a peer instructor! And, not like one of those pushovers that usually works with the initiate classes, but one of the best duelists in her year!"

"Well, it sure doesn't feel like I won," I laughed, wincing as my wounds started throbbing.

Without warning, she punched me in the right shoulder, directly below the wound I had received, dramatically increasing the throbbing and pain.

"Ow! What the hell, Darra! I just got stabbed by a lightsaber on that shoulder!"

"It was a training saber, you big baby! Why didn't you tell me that you knew Juyo!" She said, irritation clear in her voice.

"It never came up! I'm actually surprised that you recognize the stance," I said, eyeing her up.

"Tyris, it's a form of lightsaber combat that most Jedi are discouraged from learning until they at least become Knights. That basically guarantees that everyone knows what it looks like."

I… actually couldn't argue with her logic there, seeing as how I'm very curious about anything deemed "forbidden".

"Alright, fine. I'm sorry that I didn't tell you that I had been learning a semi-forbidden lightsaber form," I said, laying my exasperation on thick.

She didn't seem to care, though. "See, that's much better! No more keeping things from your best friend," she said with a big smile.

"Agreed," I laughed. "Now, will you carry me to the Halls? I think my everything is broken, and that will be the least of my worries if I take to long and Master Che comes looking for me."

Darra rolled her eyes at my exaggeration before looping my left arm around her shoulders and started helping me limp out of the auditorium.

"Come on you drama queen," she said with a giggle.

I am so very sorry for the amount of time it has taken me to update, as well as the shortness of the chapter. Football and basketball both started for the summer and overlapped for the last two weeks. On top of all that my wife and I are going through the incredibly frustrating process of finding and purchasing a home, and our internet has also been on the fritz lately.

But, enough with excuses. So, yes, Tyris is pretty advanced for his age. This happens because he never had many of these things in his previous life, so he is fascinated in them, resulting in him pouring countless hours into training and studying. That's why he is constantly channeling the Force and practicing his lightsaber skills every second he gets. He is, however, struggling greatly with actually moving things with the Force, which I'm pretty sure many of you can guess the cause. One question I've been asked several times is about the current movies coming out and if I'll include them. It wouldn't be out of the question, but Tyris would be somewhere in his 70's at the start of Force Awakens. Besides, I've already stated that this story takes place in the Expanded Universe, or what Disney has decided to call Legends. I have no intention of using anything from the new movies, but will draw heavily from all the books that were written before Disney bought everything.

Also, this was my first fight scene. What did you guys think? It was kind of short, but that is because is was just a practice duel and it was between two kids. I promise, I've got duels of epic proportions planned for later on in the story.

In regards to the coming chapters, just like what was stated in this chapter, Tyris will have little to no affect on the events of Episode I, meaning that time period won't be covered very much. The next two chapters or so will probably contain significant time skips, at least until Tyris faces the Padawan Trials. I'm also sick of writing a small child haha.

Again, this is my first story ever, so I really appreciate everyone who reviews. I'm learning as I go, so anything you guys have to add is a great help.

Thanks again!

Teee-Jay