A New Player in the Force

3.03 Upgrades and Training

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The day following our dinner with Raith Sienar, I was sitting in the cockpit of Raven, accessing the Holonet communication system. We’d just returned to the Pride of Tion after I’d given Raith a short flight aboard Raven. To say he’d enjoyed it would be an understatement, and he’d marvelled at how responsive she was to my commands as I had her ducking, dodging, and weaving around his cruiser and a few other nearby vessels.

There’d been a complaint from Kuat Fleet Defence, and while Raith had calmed their nerves about my rather eccentric flying, we’d still had to cut the flight short. However, before Raith had departed, he’d asked – though I’d have classed it as begging if he had less refinement – for another flight once we left the Kuat system.

I’d agreed, and he’d been quick to promise both his expertise and the most cutting-edge researchers and designers under his command – who worked for a sub-company called Sienar Advanced Projects Laboratory – would analyse Raven and see what advances could be applied to her without causing her harm. Haran, before he’d left, he’d spoken to Raven directly to make that clear, and she’d responded positively to his vow.

We wouldn’t be leaving immediately, as Raith had formal business to attend to with Kuat Drive Yards and a few other companies with operations in the Kuat system. Until we did leave, Anakin and I had almost free reign of the cruiser, with Arle Keer assigned to help us settle in. The assistant was with Anakin, taking him to a private room on the Tion where my Padawan could examine the design specs of several older models of vessels built by SST.

While that gave me some private time aboard Raven, I felt Raith was doing it as a test. I’d caught him being impressed by Anakin’s knowledge and understanding of technical matters that he’d spoken of. I understood some of it, but Anakin was a savant when it came to technology, and it appeared that Raith had noticed this. While I hoped he didn’t think he could poach Anakin from me, I was more than willing to allow the man the chance to push Anakin in a way I never could.

With this private time available, and suspecting that where we were going would have restricted access to the Holonet, I wanted to check in with Serra. It’d been about a month and a half since Naboo, and while I’d spoken with her a few times after the death of Drallig while we’d both still been on the planet, I’d been reluctant to reach out since.

While most of that came from taking Natural Selection, and fearing that, even at this distance, she’d sense the change in me just as Anakin had, much came from knowing she’d need time to grieve privately. She might be more emotional than many Jedi our age, but she was still a member of the Order and I know most people preferred quiet solitude to mourn the death of a family member, which, while not official, was what Drallig was to Serra.

A beep from the communication console indicated the signal had connected with the Temple and I waited for someone to answer my call.

“Knight Shan,” a Rodian I’d never met before said after appearing as a hologram at the console, “how may I be of assistance?”

The computer terminal the Rodian was using would have noted the unique identifier code I’d sent with my signal, and with the holograms active, confirmed that I matched visual records. However, since he wasn’t in robes, I suspected he was one of the myriad of sentients that worked in the Temple as staff, most having jobs that the Jedi either couldn’t or didn’t want.

“I was hoping to speak with Padawan Serra Keto.”

“One moment.” The Rodian looked down, accessing their terminal to locate where Serra was. “I’m sorry,” he continued after looking up, “but Padawan Keto is currently unavailable. Not only do the records state she’s in a training session, but her Master has requested that she not be contacted by any outside the Temple until he is comfortable that she has properly processed the death of Master Drallig, and released her burden into the Force.”

I frowned, as even if I’d half-expected something like this, I didn’t like it. The decision to prevent contact with any outside the Temple was, in my mind, a clear attempt to cut her off from me and others she might speak with, such as Padmé or Bo. Now, Padmé could, in theory, push the matter, but I doubted she would, thus Serra would be isolated from ‘outside influences’ allowing whoever her new Master was to reaffirm her commitment to the Order. “Understandable, but might I ask who her new Master is?” The odds were it was some random Jedi I knew only by name as I had a list in my head of about thousands, perhaps up to half, of Jedi, but at least that would give me someone to contact later if I wished to speak with my friend.

“Padawan Keto’s training is to be completed by Master Windu.”

“Oh.” The response slipped from me before I could hide my shock and surprise. While Serra learning from one of the best in the Order was a relief, that it was the Master of the Order, and thus head of the Council, was something I was unsure about. While, in recent years Windu had been more supportive of my choices and actions, such as approving of my actions to help protect a member world of the Republic, my methods weren’t choices he agreed with. “That’s, um, unexpected. I hadn’t thought a member of the Council would move to finish her training.”

The Rodian nodded. “Yes, from what I’ve heard through the grapevine,” I smirked at the reference to even the Jedi Temple having a rumour mill, “many are surprised by the choice. Master Windu hasn’t taken a Padawan since Master Billaba, and many felt he’d not take another. Yet, he was a friend of Master Drallig, so perhaps he took over Padawan Keto’s training to finish Master Drallig’s final legacy.”

“That makes sense,” I replied, keeping my internal thoughts regarding Mace Windu finishing Serra’s training to myself. When Drallig had arrived on Naboo, I’d been concerned that Serra’s actions would see her reprimanded, if not sanctioned, by either the High Council or the Council of First Knowledge. I’d thought Drallig’s death might mitigate that issue, but it seemed I’d been wrong, and now Master Windu was taking a personal interest in Serra’s education.

While there were a lot of negatives to draw from that, the one major positive was that alongside Dooku, and the recently killed Master Bondara, Windu was regarded as one of the finest Jedi blade masters of their generation, perhaps even of the last millennium. Serra’s training would be far more focused and advanced than what she’d have gotten from Drallig, who had to split her training alongside that of every Initiate, Youngling, Padawan, and even some Knights.

“Would you like me to connect you with Master Windu?” the Rodian asked.

“No, that won’t be necessary,” I replied without making it too obvious I didn’t want to speak to a member of the Council. Beyond his concerns that I was too close to the various figures of power on and from Naboo – something that the gifting of a villa in Naboo’s Lake District would only increase if he learnt of it – there was the change I’d undergone. It was possible that, at the distance between us, and with our weaker connection than what I shared with Serra, he’d not sense the shift in my Force presence. However, I felt it was unwise to test that theory.

“Could you connect me with Padawan Zill instead?” I asked, figuring I could check in with Tedra while also getting a connection to Serra via someone in the Temple. I could’ve chosen to speak with someone like Aayla or Sia-Lan, but neither was as loyal to me as Tedra was. So much so, that the last time I met her and used Observe – which was about three months before Naboo – her loyalty to me easily trumped that toward the Jedi or Lokella by significant margins.

“One moment.” Again, I waited for the Rodian to check on a location. “Padawan Zill is currently not, according to my records, occupied. She is, however, located with her Master in one of the various training rooms. Would you like me to connect you with them?”

I considered the matter for a moment. “Please.” While Tedra’s Master was a highly skilled Jedi, she wasn’t on the level of a Council member, at least not yet. The only concern was that my bond with this Master was higher than that of Windu, so she might sense the change. Still, I felt better about successfully lying to her than Windu.

The hologram of the Rodian disappeared, and I was left waiting until, perhaps a minute later, two figures replaced the Rodian in the holographic display.

“Cam!” Tedra called out excitedly, only to calm herself when her Master, Shaak Ti, placed a hand on her shoulder. “I… I mean Knight Shan, it’s good to see you again.”

“You as well, Tedra, though I see you still have to work on tempering your emotions.”

She scoffed. “Look who’s talking,” she muttered, though with a small smile. One shared by Shaak Ti. “We’ve all heard about your actions rushing into the fray on Naboo.”

“Yes, that choice, and the allies you brought, caused quite a stir among certain elements of the Order,” Shaak Ti added in a friendly, unchallenging tone. “Though given the hurried nature of the need for support, and the Council determining the matter wasn’t one to concern the Order, I cannot fault your choices. Nor their effectiveness.”

“Thank you, Master,” I said, dropping my head slightly to accept the praise. Shaak Ti might’ve been a dedicated Jedi, but she did favour unconventional methods. Something I’d experienced firsthand during my brief time working and training with her. Dooku had even commented that, if not for her peculiar desire to insult the Form with the erratic add-on of Ataru, he would consider her one of the foremost practitioners of Makashi in the Order.

“While we are both pleased you survived those battles relatively unharmed, I can sense something has changed within you. Beyond the wound you suffered.”

I grinned at Shaak Ti’s way of getting to the heart of the matter without directly doing so. “My injury is one I gladly paid to ensure people would remain free, and I have already procured a replacement,” I replied, lifting my artificial hand into sight. “However,” I continued, not letting the matter dwell on that, or where it came from, “you are correct in that I’d changed. Thanks to events in that battle, I have seen how to overcome my shortcomings.”

I stayed vague as I wasn’t sure if she knew about my battle with Maul, though I was certain Tedra wouldn’t have spoken of it. Serra might know that Maul was there and believed that I’d killed him, but the Council had instructed us to not speak on the matter with anyone. Of course, that ruling didn’t cover others, and through Padmé, and his position as Chancellor, Palpatine had become aware. At least in the official cover story. No doubt the hidden Banite Sith would think that would grant him another ‘in’ for turning me toward the Sith.

There was also a good chance Shaak reported what I said, and what she sensed to the Council. However, second-hand words, even from a trusted Jedi Master, were less concerning to me than having the head of the Council know directly how I’d changed.

“I don’t think I’m even close to the middle of this journey, to say nothing of the end, but I feel I’ve taken the first steps toward overcoming my flaws,” I added, making clear I wasn’t arrogant enough to think I’d instantly reached the level many felt I could achieve.

Shaak’s smile grew. “I’m pleased to hear that. Your technical skill is second to none, but as you’re well aware, you lack faith in yourself and the Force to truly master your abilities. Perhaps when next we meet, if you’ve moved further down this path you now find yourself on, you might provide more of a challenge.”

“I accept the offer, Master, and hope I’m able to be a worthy opponent.” I’d already wondered how I could use my new limb against a Force user. I didn’t think it would enable me to defeat a Jedi of Shaak’s skill, never mind one who sat on the Council, but I felt it had the potential to offer me chances against others. The offer of a spar was a good one, and a challenge I looked forward to. “However, as much as I look forward to that spar, it wasn’t why I contacted you and Tedra.” I paused, taking a moment to consider my words. “I had hoped to speak with Padawan Keto. I haven’t seen her since Naboo, and I’m concerned about how she’s recovering from the death of Master Drallig.”

“And with Master Windu limiting her contact with others, you weren’t able to, and thus turned to common friends in the hope of receiving an update?” Shaak responded. I nodded, taking in the information that the ban on contact wasn’t aimed at just those outside the Temple, and thus, in my mind, directly toward me. “Then I shall enquire with Master Windu as to her status and forward a report to you if able.”

“Thank you.”

“Since I am otherwise unoccupied, I shall handle it now, though I believe my Padawan would enjoy speaking with you while I make my inquiries.” I nodded in thanks as Shaak turned to Tedra. “I will, however, remind you that you have a class with Master Gaant in thirty minutes regarding philosophy. I hope you won’t be late for it again.”

“Yes, Master,” Tedra replied a little sheepishly. I remembered Master Gaant’s classes, though I wished I didn’t. Those had been extremely dull and boring sessions, even if, in theory, the topic matter might stimulate young minds. Or at least the minds of those indoctrinated in the Jedi beliefs and still happy guzzlers of the Kool-Aid.

“Until we next meet, may the Force be with you, Cameron.”

“And with you, Master.”

Shaak nodded and left the range of the receiver that she and Tedra were using. While I wanted to ask Tedra about Serra, and a few other matters that might be going on at the Temple, I felt it wiser to leave those for a little while, simply to ensure Shaak had left. “So, how’s your training going?”

… …

… …

After deactivating my mother’s holocron, I leaned back and sighed as I looked at the now-inert object. I’d spent the last week studying and interacting with it in the hopes it might offer me some form of insight into training with the Force. However, apart from a few minor hints – most of which I’d already deduced – I’d gotten nowhere in that regard. This holocron, unlike the vast majority of those I’d interacted with before, wasn’t set up to be a study aid or research tool, but more of a personal log of Ressa Shan’s life.

While the holocron hadn’t helped me in the ways I’d wanted, learning of my mother’s life had been illuminating. Filling in some gaps regarding how the Jedi Order, the Republic, and the wider galaxy were set up and behaving thousands of years ago, barely a century after the Jedi Civil War, had been fascinating. However, it wasn’t what I’d wanted to learn from the holocron.

I raised my hand, lifting the holocron gently with the Force. Of all my powers, Telekinesis came back easiest, which made sense as it was the most commonly used external power and one of the most versatile. Everything from lifting and moving an object to powers like Wave and Crush derived from Telekinesis. While I was far from getting the power back to where it’d been before, the fact I could – thanks to the intense lessons I’d endured with Dooku regarding fine control and focus – still use it for such menial tasks was a relief.

The holocron floated back to the small alcove in my cabin where I kept it stored. Once there, another small use of the Force had the alcove’s front seal close, hiding the holocron behind a section of Raven’s skin that ensured none who entered the room could see the alcove.

With that done, I leaned back on my bed and looked at the ceiling. It’d been a few days since the dinner with Raith Sienar had taken place, and we were now travelling aboard the Pride of Tion to a private research facility he controlled. There, according to Raith, the best engineers and researchers in the galaxy would examine Raven, without hurting her, to see what, if anything, could be done to improve and enhance her. My focus was on defensive and offensive capabilities, but I’d consider any suggestion that made her better than she already was.

We’d not left right after meeting Raith, as he’d had business to attend to in the Kuat system, but we were underway now. Plus, since the location where we were heading was a secured one, with restricted hyperspace access, Raith had offered to allow us to travel aboard his cruiser to the system. Raven disliked not being able to experience the wonders of hyperspace against her skin, nor did I as I missed being at the controls as we danced between the stars, but Anakin was happy with the change. The boy was currently off somewhere, looking over files of starship and droid design that Raith had provided to him.

The morning after that first dinner, I’d kept my word and taken Raith out for a short flight aboard Raven around the Kuat system. To say he’d been enthralled by the wonder that was Raven would be like saying a star brought light to a planet; accurate but vastly understating the importance and majesty of the event. Raith had bombarded me with questions about Raven, but I could only explain them through my connection with Raven, not in the technical way that he wanted.

Anakin had managed to answer some of the questions, but for every question that we answered, a dozen remained open. I’d been surprised at how well Anakin knew Raven’s mechanical systems and learnt after that flight that he’d spent time studying her. That, given his proclivities toward technology, wasn’t unexpected and I’d told him he was free to keep doing so, as long as he didn’t try and take any of the components apart without first clearing it with me and Raven.

Anakin’s ability to answer Raith’s questions had been what led to the man developing a curiosity about Anakin, and why my Padawan was currently elsewhere studying datafiles provided by the head of SST. If I didn’t know better and hadn’t used Observe to confirm it, I’d fear Raith was trying to poach Anakin. He wasn’t, but he saw the spark in the boy that he had, and wanted to help nurture it. So much so that the files Anakin was browsing contained proprietary technology of SST. R2 was with Anakin, helping the boy examine the files, and unless I missed my guess, suggest improvements to the designs he was examining.

That, I felt, was Raith’s intention with giving the boy those files, though I’d have to see how it all played out in the coming weeks. However, it was helping Anakin improve a skill that I knew I couldn’t help with, and the better trained he was – as Force use, warrior, and technician – the safer he’d be from falling into the clutches of the Banite Sith.

Fenrir was, as normal, resting and since Anakin and I were occupied, he’d taken over – again – the main sofa in the central area. Simvyl was in his quarters resting while HK had withdrawn to a private chamber. The assassin droid had enjoyed boasting of his prowess and history to Raith, at least until the man had wanted to examine HK more carefully. Since then, thanks to not wanting anyone outside my group, or his Creator, to do so, HK had kept his distance from Raith; mainly as a way to ensure he didn’t choose to end the man’s life.

Raith, thankfully, hadn’t been upset by HK’s comments, or gruff manner, and with him busy with other business most days, hadn’t followed up his interest in HK. I was sure he’d had the droid scanned, but given the various jamming and distortion components in HK’s frame, the internal workings of the droid would remain a mystery to Raith, along with knowledge of what HK carried in the way of hidden ordinance. Which was exactly how it should be for an assassin droid.

While it was taking longer than I’d like to reach our destination, with Anakin busy, it allowed me time to shift my focus to the various holocrons I had. So far I was finding little use for them, with my mother’s holocron being the latest example of that. Sighing again, I opened my Inventory and pulled one of the various sacks stored there. It was a cheat to be able to place sacks into the slots with the sacks containing different, un-stackable objects, but it was one I was going to keep exploiting as it hadn’t been removed in the last Interface update.

Placing the sack on a table, I pulled out the six holocrons that were inside it. Five of them I’d already used to see what I could do to enhance my re-learning of the Force. Four of those had been Jedi ones taken from underneath the Temple during the Cleansing the Temple quest that I’d completed years ago with Fay and Dooku. The last was one of the first holocron I’d ever gotten, having come from the Sith Apprentice I’d killed to escape my grandfather’s house back, technically, nearly three thousand eight-hundred years ago.

None had offered any help in my learning, nor hinted at powers I’d not considered before the Interface had removed itself from interfering with my connection to the Force. Indeed, apart from their potential value as holocrons, and a continual curiosity as to how such things were built, they served no purpose. That logic couldn’t be applied to the last holocron, and the one I was, reluctantly, going to use now.

This was King Adas’ holocron, and while it looked similar to the Sith training holocron, it was something else entirely. It radiated power in a way that only the Great Holocron at the Jedi Temple could match, and even then, I’d say this holocron was older and more powerful.

The moment I took the sack out of my Inventory, I’d started hearing the whispered promises of power that the holocron wished to tempt me with. Those whispers grew into voices as I lifted the holocron with the Force, separating it from the other holocrons. The promises of answers to whatever I wanted to know were strong enough that I had to lean back once the holocron was separated from the others and collect my thoughts. The voices had always been strong, but without the Interface, I’d lost any protection it had offered against the worst elements of the Dark Side.

I took a few moments to re-centre myself, pushing aside the veiled promises of domination that the Dark Side offered. I knew this was a dangerous choice, but I needed to regain as much of my training and connection as quickly as possible. At the same time, as I focused on Adas’ holocron, I understood fully just how little I truly knew of the Force, both Light and Dark and how great the protection the Interface had offered me had been. I shivered, wondering how long I’d have lasted with the Bando Gora if not for the Interface, or if I’d have made it through the war with the Vong without falling completely.

I gasped as, even with my connection limited by choice, the Force pushed images into my mind. Scenes similar to those I’d experienced in the crystal cave of Ilum rushed into my thoughts. Of seeing everyone I cared for kneeling, accepting me as their leader and master. Skulls of fallen opponents – Yoda, Windu, Sidious, Plagueis, and others – lined walls in an elaborate room as I moved toward the throne, my warriors, slaves, and concubines saluting or kneeling as I stepped toward my rightful place. I was Master of the g…

Shaking my head, I pushed the images aside, and reached inward, searching for my inner strength to settle my thoughts and guard my mind against the ravages of the Dark Side. I wasn’t a conqueror or emperor. I would never be.

Once I felt calmer, the images and voices pushed back as far as I could get them, I opened my eyes and looked at Adas’ holocron again. Those visions of a possible future hadn’t come from it but from the swirling maelstrom of the Dark Side that radiated around it.

Reaching out with my mechanical hand, I grasped the holocron, shivering as I felt the faint tremors of the Dark Side. If I had used my organic hand, I knew I’d have either dropped the holocron, or been lost to its temptations, but the machinery and metal of the false limb offered me protection as it diluted the physical connection to the holocron.

Closing my eyes again, I reached out as carefully as I could. Pushing past the whispers and temptations that surrounded the holocron, I felt its presence in the Force. Finding it, I brushed against that and then opened my eyes, being greeted by the holographic armoured form of King Adas.

“I…” he stopped after just a word and I could tell, even with the armour hiding his visage, that he was examining me carefully. Physically and through the Force. “What has happened?”

“That easy to sense?” I replied with a chuckle as I slowly lowered the holocron onto a shelf, setting us on an equal eye line.

“For one as attuned to the intricate flows of the Force as I, sensing slight variances in the Force from lightyears away is child’s play. Whatever has happened to so drastically alter the ripples you leave within the Force is something the most unskilled child could feel.”

I chuckled again, remembering how Anakin had reacted to my awakening after taking Natural Selection. “In simple terms, I overcame the block that was restricting my connection to the Force. However, it came with the unexpected side effect of costing me almost all of my control.”

Adas scoffed. “Saying you overcame your block is akin to suggesting the Force is a simple power source. When we began our initial lessons, I sensed the power you held was restricted; trapped in some way. Whatever was causing it was trapping the potential I knew you contained. Now that restriction is entirely gone and for the first time I find myself looking upon your true form, and indeed marvelling at what I now behold. Whereas before I could sense you as if looking at some massive, but distant galaxy, I now find myself standing within a font of power and marvelling at what I can witness. There is conflict in this galaxy, in you, and you are struggling to find yourself and bring order and structure to the chaos around you.”

I blinked, wondering if he was talking about me or the galaxy we were in as his metaphor converted both. “That’s… a remarkably intuitive way of describing it, though not how I’d ever expected someone to describe me.”

“I’m not talking of you, child, but of your potential. Of the power that, if you choose to seize and bend it to your will, you could wield.” I kept my face as passive as I could as he spoke, wondering what his true end goal was. I knew he hoped to turn me into a worthy apprentice and successor, but it felt as if there was more to his intent than simply that. However, that, like what dark secrets I could potentially learn from him, was a matter for another day, once I had control over myself, the Force, and our bond.

“Still, it is an interesting comparison, and one I won’t deny is tempting. However, it isn’t why I wished to speak with you today.”

“Then what do you wish to discuss then?”

“I need help to focus, limit, and control the power that runs through me and into the Force.” My wording was intentional as saying anything along the lines of what a Jedi Master would expect would only serve to insult him.

“Is that what you desire? Or do you seek the means to hide the power that resides, and the capability for even greater supremacy, within you? Do you not seek to mask your presence so that, to others, you appear as nothing more than a deluded follower of the Jedi’s false scripture?”

“Aye,” I said with a chuckle, amused at his way of describing the Jedi, “that too, I guess.” It was annoying that he could so easily see through my words to the truth of my motives, but with my Force abilities all having gone haywire, it wasn’t unexpected. Haran, my mother’s holocron had sensed something was amiss, but it lacked the hint of sentience that Adas’ holocron seemed to possess.

Normally Adas would mix his words, trying to hide his intentions in the spaces between the letters. Thankfully, as with Palpatine and Damask, I was aware of this, and on the lookout for such deception and twisted motives. That he wasn’t attempting that today hinted that he knew there was no need to, and that he understood how desperate I was becoming if I would turn to a Sith King for guidance.

“Then, perhaps, I can be of some assistance. However, before we can focus on helping you regain control of your connection to the Force, you must learn to use the Force to empower and enrich you. The need to mould it, craft it, to your purposes and desires will help make it difficult, if not nigh-on impossible, for any to sense your intentions, opinions, and relationship with the Force.” He paused and clasped his hands behind his back, reminding me of a drill instructor about to lecture a group of raw recruits. “In simple terms, the Jedi feel that emotions should not be used in conjunction with the Force. That any of them leads one to twist the Force to their will. While the general concept is valid, they fail to understand the truth of the Force. Any emotion grants one a boost, it is simply that the darker, baser emotions offer faster and easier paths to power. The flaw of the Jedi, and many so-called Sith Lords, is to think that only those baser emotions grant power. That they should be all that is focused on, or that all should be ignored because of our more instinctual choices.”

It didn’t take a mastermind to know what Adas was hinting at, or where he wanted this lesson to go. I wouldn’t deny that using my rage, my fury to empower me did offer a quick, almost insane, boost to what I was capable of, but I understood they were fleeting and deceiving. However, I also understood that, if I had to draw upon my emotions to create the shell that would stop others from sensing the taint within me, of how I was neither a Jedi nor a Sith – nor had any intention of following those paths to their conclusions – then I had to take this lesson.

“I’m willing to listen,” I said slowly, measuring my tone and keeping as unemotional as possible. “However, I need you to explain, in detail, how learning to harness my emotions, regardless of which ones, will help shield me from the senses of others. How it might protect me and those I care for from reprisals.”

Adas chuckled, the deep, baritone sound echoing around my quarters. “But of course. One cannot begin a journey without understanding why they must take it. That leads to mistakes that place them and others in danger they will likely be unprepared for. However, the explanation for why this needs to be done will take considerable time.”

“That is something I have,” I replied, drawing another deep chuckle from the ancient Sith King.

“Then let us begin.”

… …

… …