A New Player in the Force

“Cam! Thank the Force!”

I turned at hearing my name called out from the other side of the archive room I was in at the Jedi Temple to see Dastod Slamon racing across the room toward me.

In the weeks since arriving back at the Temple, I’d split my time between improving my lightsaber forms, catching up with my friends, planning out the next set of novels – adapting a game into a story was more difficult than I expected – and making contacts among the other Padawans, with Dastod being one of those.

A former member of Thranta Clan, Dastod was a rare Padawan who focused on understanding the inner workings of holocrons and preferred to use the Force for artistic endeavours rather than learning to be a Jedi Guardian or Consular.

Then again, I didn’t appear to fit into either of those classes, which was probably why Master Giiett had spent some time talking with me about the work of Jedi Sentinels, particularly the work done by Investigators.

While Dastod was not as uncertain about the Order as most of the Padawans I’d been seeking out, his knowledge and understanding of holocrons made him an interesting individual to know. And I wondered if he’d give me any insight into the Sith Holocron from the past that I'd kept since arriving in this era.

While I had used it a few times, it did not have that much useful information; instead, it served as a basic teaching tool for Sith Apprentices and sprouting Sith propaganda that confirmed, to me at least, that the Sith were just as flawed as the Jedi.

And while the Sith Code certainly sounded more fun than the Jedi one, both felt… constricting and unbalanced to me.

The fact that the holocron had no dark-side taint was surprising, as I had been warned repeatedly about the dangers of such things, but given it was more a basic teaching tool than a storage device for Sith knowledge, it was understandable.

The only reason I kept the holocron now was that I wasn’t inclined to just drop it where anyone could find it and because it might hold more information that I could access; hence why I’d developed a friendship with Dastod.

“Hey Das,” I replied as he drew near. As he stopped beside me, I noticed he was sweating and his movements seemed jittery. “What’s wrong?”

“It’s Serra and Rachi. They’re about to have a spar,” he explained as he scratched at his sleeve.

I sighed, pinched the bridge of my nose and slumped a little in my seat. “Again?”

“Y-yeah. Darihd sent me and a few others to find you.” Dastod explained as I stood.

“Wonderful,” I grumbled as I lazily turned off the datapad I’d been using and began to walk out of the room. “Come on then.”

He tried to run again, but I grabbed his robes. “This is the Archives.” I hissed, though without any venom as I could understand his need to rush.

“Ah, right,” he mumbled as I spotted his Master, a Knight who worked as a researcher for the Order glare in our direction.

Dastod, however, didn’t spot him and we left as quickly as we could before jogging through the maze-like passageways of the temple, which let my mind play over why these particular spars were so annoying.

Since arriving back from the ShaDo system, Rachi had taken to teasing Serra about her time there. In particular, the time that she spent with me as she made sure to drive home the fact that we spent most of it alone, away from the other Jedi.

Nothing had happened – mainly because I was not going to let anything start while I was a pre-teen and still trying to get a handle on going through puberty for a second time – but Serra didn’t know that and her feelings about me were an open secret among many Padawans in our age group.

This made her an easy target for teasing and often led it her being warned by her master to gain better control of her emotions.

However, to help her channel her emotions, I had suggested sparring. I had meant with me – which admittedly we had done daily – but she had also taken it to mean sparring with Rachi.

The pair had sparred nearly a dozen times in the last few weeks, but in each of those cases the spars had grown more and more aggressive – or at least Serra had – and I’d only learnt about them after they had occurred.

Because of this, Darihd, Sia-Lan and a few others had promised to try to stop them from starting, or to find me when they did in the hopes I could talk to the pair. Hence why Dastod had come racing into the Archives as though the Temple was on fire.

Soon enough, we approached one of the smaller sparring areas set aside for Padawans, and the sounds of lightsabers clashing began to fill the corridor.

Entering the room, I saw Serra leap high and bring her blade down onto Rachi’s. Twin green blades smashed into a pale blue one as Rachi shifted her balance and Serra rolled away.

Serra’s face, normally so relaxed and open, was now far more severe. Her eyes were narrowed and locked on Rachi while her knuckles were turning white with how tightly she was gripping her hilts.

Rachi, for her part, seemed unconcerned by her opponent, save for the increased rate of breath and the fact her clothing was beginning to stick to her body in certain places that I really shouldn’t be looking at.

I shook my head to get those thoughts under control as I stepped up beside Darihd – another Padawan from Dragon Clan named Funt stepped back to allow me in – even as Serra launched into another attack.

“How long?” I asked Darihd.

He tilted his head toward me. “About five minutes,” Darihd replied, shaking his head wearily. “She’s far too easy a target.”

“Serra?”

He nodded. “Yeah. She’s always been… overeager, but this is getting out of hand.” He stated as Serra gritted her teeth and swung both her blades around in wide arcs that were meant to bisect an opponent.

Rachi kept her blade moving, allowing her to easily block one attack and side-stepped the other even as Serra used the Force to leap over Rachi, letting her blade drag behind, but the Twi’lek easily avoided it and launched her attack as Serra landed.

I continued to watch as both seemed to be going close to full out, but I spotted several moments where either could’ve used a Force-based attack. Whether this was because they had agreed not to, or just didn’t spot it I didn’t know. But I was leaning towards the latter as their blades moved rapidly through the air.

They were moving fast for Padawans, but nowhere near the level I could move, and thanks to activating Bullet-Time I was able to track every attack, counter, feint, and trick before they happened. Along with a few instances where they chose a less-than-optimal option.

Something that leapt out was that while Rachi was using a mix of Soresu and Shien that suited her build and style, Serra was heavily focused on Ataru manoeuvres.

If she was only using a single blade or even a shoto-saber, it wouldn’t be so bad, but as she always used dual full-sized blades, it was costing her.

The more I watched her from afar, the more I realised that she would do well if she mixed in Niman with her preferred Force leaps.

Djem So was not doable as she was still too young to generate the power needed but perhaps a bastardized form of Makashi would work for her as it had for Ventress in The Clone Wars. And while I was certain Dooku wouldn’t approve of someone using twin blades with Makashi, I knew that every person fought and moved differently. And what was good or preferred by one, would not necessarily be good for another.

“Right, enough of this,” I muttered as Serra’s blade slashed the floor, hissing venomously, even as Rachi leapt up and back to avoid the strike and I moved towards the sparring circle the girls were using.

“Cam?”

I ignored Darihd’s voice as I stepped into the sparring circle. This was going to continue unless I addressed the issue more directly. I had an idea of how to do that, but first I needed to make a statement, both to them and to the audience.

Activating Force Speed, I moved towards the duellists.

Without showing any concern – thanks to the trio of powers I had active that were all at or beyond Master – I stepped between the duellists.

A gentle lean to my left had me avoiding Serra’s twin green blades as they passed my shoulder, though I did give the blades a small nudge with Force Push to gently guide them away from me.

Even while doing that, I nonchalantly activated my lightsaber and slapped away Rachi’s counterattack.

I felt a twinge of regret that I couldn't have guided them away physically – which would have been much cooler – but I wasn't at that level yet, though not for lack of trying. One of the reasons I had been using Force Deflection as much as I had was to get it to Master:1.

That would unlock Tutaminis which was a power I’d read about and was, I believed, the one Yoda used against Dooku's Force Lightning on Geonosis. I seriously wanted it. The idea that I could absorb the energy of incoming blaster bolts – and at higher levels, damage from a lightsaber – to boost my FP was just insane.

Serra blinked several times as if a fog had lifted from her mind as her eyes moved up her blades until they reached mine.

“C-Cam?”

“Why are you two doing this again?” I asked in a voice that would have sounded like a growl, if not for the fact that I was still a child. Thankfully, it had the desired effect as Serra visibly flinched at my tone.

“She started it!” Serra snapped a finger lifting from one other of her hilts to point past me to where I knew Rachi was standing. “She kept saying these, uh, things, about you and, uh, her.”

“All I did was tell her about our time on Mtael’s Gift,” Rachi replied and even if I couldn’t see her face, I knew she was smirking, “and all the time we spent together.” She added as I felt her breath on the back of my neck.

Serra’s mouth twisted as she moved to reply.

“Enough, both of you!” I snapped out before she could, only to sigh and pinch my nose.

“But…” Serra began only to stop as our eyes met once more. “Yes, Mas…”

Her eyes widened a touch as she stopped herself from finishing and I had to take a few breaths to ignore the double meaning of what she had muttered meant and to reign in the emotional and physical response it generated in me.

Puberty sucks, especially when you truly understand what is going on.

However, it also gave me an idea about how to handle this. It would be seriously skirting the lines of the Jedi Code, but it would be the best I could do at the time. Not that I was a true adherent to the Code, but because I didn’t want to be hauled in front of the High Council again. Once was more than enough for this visit to the temple, thank you very much. With a sigh, I pushed my mind out towards hers, initiating a telepathic link.

[Serra, widen your eyes if you can hear me.]

I seriously doubted her eyes could get any wider with how they were now staring at me in awe. I held her gaze as I continued to speak to her, both verbally and mentally.

“Serra, you are my friend; my first in the Order. But you do not have a right to get angry about me spending time with others,” I spoke aloud.

Via our bond, I continued. [I understand this jealousy, and the competition brewing between you two, but you need to be smarter in your reactions. Rachi knows we’re good friends, I even told her as much, and she’s using that to play on your fears. Do not let her. Every time you rise to her bait, you're allowing her to win by conceding that she has power over you.]

“I will spend time with other sentients, other friends. But never forget, you are my first, oldest and dearest friend.” I continued verbally, even as I added more mentally.

[Think about why she feels she needs to do this. She's trying to make you look angry and immature in front of me, because she can already see how close we are, and is trying to insert herself in between us. She's trying to break our connection. Something that I can assure you will require far more than that, at least from my point of view.]

Her face lit up with a smile that could’ve brightened a planet and I wondered if I’d overdone the compliment for a second before letting it go.

“Rachi,” I began as I turned to the Twi’lek, and did my best to ignore the way she smiled at me, “enough. We spent time together, talking and learning about each other but that’s it. You are my friend as well, but I will not tolerate you teasing others about that friendship.”

Rachi crossed her arms over her chest, and I was only eighty per cent certain that she wasn't consciously augmenting certain assets with her actions. Serra certainly noticed, and I heard a soft hiss of exhaled breath from behind me. I decided to send her one last message.

[Her opinion of me must be far lower than I thought if she thinks I care about her being a few years older than you. She is physically attractive, how you shine in the Force means more to me than that. Though you are beautiful both inside and out.]

I refocused on Rachi, who still hadn't responded.

I raised an eyebrow. “Is that understood?” I asked as I applied a gentle push with Force Persuasion to my words and channelled as many of Dooku’s mannerisms as I could.

“Fine,” Rachi pushed out from behind closed teeth.

My eyes moved from one to the other, making sure they were actually listening and not just saying what they thought I wanted to hear. Though both seemed genuine and Serra had not stopped beaming since I had started communicating with her privately. Actually, I suspected her current smile could light the entire Temple if needed.

“Good,” I turned and walked to the edge of the sparring circle, ignoring the fact the dozen or so other Padawans around the edge who’d all been watching the duel between the two females, before stopping and turning back to face them.

“Since you have spent so long duelling against one another, you should know each other’s strengths and weaknesses. Let us test if that is true.” I said as I ignited my blade and saluted them with the standard Makashi opening stance.

The pair both stared at me with widened eyes, before sharing a look and igniting their blades.

“What do we get if we win?” Serra asked as her smile turned into a smirk.

“Oh… he can sing for us. You’ll like that,” Rachi suggested with only the slightest hint of teasing.

Serra’s smirk slipped as she considered the other girl’s words before nodding in agreement.

As they began to move, I allowed myself a small smile at getting them to take the first step to, hopefully, getting over this silly competition about me and becoming friends.

And made a mental note to speak with Serra afterwards about altering her forms to better suit her weapons, if not get her to change one of the blades to a shoto-saber.

… …

… …

(Serra’s POV)

She watched as a unique black and white lightsaber blade clashed again and again against the smaller green blade of its opponent and marvelled at what she was seeing.

Here was her Cam doing something that, to her knowledge, had never happened before: A duel – even if it was a training one – between the Grandmaster of the Order and a mere Padawan.

And, as she watched him easily guide away another of Master Yoda’s attacks, a smile crept onto her face as that familiar feeling of a tingle in her stomach. He wasn’t just surviving the Grandmaster; he was holding his own and counterattacking when he could.

The smile widened as she saw the other Jedi dotted around the room – and on the walkways above – who were all watching in awe at a mere Padawan going toe to toe with the Grandmaster of their order.

This whole spectacle had occurred because in Cam’s words, ‘the Council doesn’t like me.’

She, however, couldn’t understand why they didn’t like him. He was the Chosen One; sent through time and space to bring balance to the Force and guide them into a golden age. It only made sense that he would be tested against the best the Order had to offer as he was already able to beat her and other Padawans in groups of three and even Knights of the Order.

She felt her heart beat faster as she watched Cam seemingly float effortlessly away from an overhead slash and then parry with dancer-like precision a thrust of the Grandmaster’s green blade. They were moving fast, though she’d seen Cam go faster during their spars and against a few others, as the pair glided around the sparring area.

The Grandmaster used Ataru so effortlessly as he leapt around the area that it was almost like he was a green ball bouncing around the room. He seemed to know exactly where and when to push from for his next jump, but that made perfect sense as Grandmaster Yoda was ancient and the greatest blade-master in the Order.

Yet, here was Cam not only holding his own but even managing to probe with his attacks as he moved elegantly around the incoming attacks.

Cam’s style was centred on Makashi – just like Master Dooku – yet he switched between Makashi, Soresu and Shii-Cho so seamlessly, that it was majestic to watch. And while his movements in the newer forms weren’t quite as graceful, she knew in her soul that he would one day master them as well and surpass Yoda as the greatest duellist in the Jedi’s history.

A gasp escaped from her lips, and a few others around the hall, as Cam, having leaned one way to avoid a strike from the Grandmaster, send the diminutive Jedi hurling across the sparring ring with a Force Blast.

She couldn’t help but smile at seeing her Cam land a blow on the Grandmaster, though the smile slipped as she sensed annoyance and concern and saw his face. Where before it had been serene, almost peaceful, now it had twisted; his brow has risen, and his eyes widened as he looked over to where the Grandmaster was landing.

She glanced there to see that the smaller, but far older Jedi had touched down into a comfortable crouch, and the faintest of smiles appeared on the Grandmaster’s face before he schooled his expression.

She felt her breath hitch at seeing the reaction of Master Yoda even as a soft murmur drew her eyes to one of the upper viewing pathways; where it seemed that several Jedi Masters and High Council members had gathered to watch the spar.

Most seemed to be quietly talking, but she swore she saw Master Belfarr smile sinisterly as he watched Cam with narrowed eyes. The sneer, as that was what it had been, was gone a split-second later as he leaned over and talked with another Jedi, Knight C’baoth or something like that who stood next to Belfarr with his Padawan, who was a friend of hers by the name of Lorana Jinzler.

She’d spent a fair bit of time with Lorana, mainly as they were both often stuck in the Temple due to their masters and they sparred regularly.

Cam had also sparred with her a few times, and Lorana seemed to enjoy those as much as anyone as Cam often offered hints and pointers afterwards; win or lose.

Then again, since returning this time – and earning another well-deserved title if Rachi’s stories were correct – Cam had gone out of his way to spar with many Padawans and a handful of Knights. And if she remembered correctly, he’d beaten over two dozen separate Padawans and a few Knights in that time, on top of his regular sparring partners like herself.

She suspected that rush to spar, and the fact he’d won all of them, might also have played a part in why the Grandmaster was sparring with Cam today.

She also saw that with the group of Jedi was someone else.

If she remembered correctly, it was the Senator that Cam had stayed with when he took down a kidnapping ring all by himself. Why the Senator was there, she didn’t know, nor care and her eyes snapped back to the spar as the hiss of two lightsabers colliding echoed around the otherwise quiet chamber.

What remained of her smile, and there wasn’t much after the Grandmaster’s smile, fell as the pair began anew and a feeling of dread from somewhere seeped into her. Unlike last time, when the spar had seemed roughly equal, this section was unequivocally one-sided.

Yoda launched himself at Cam so fast that she would have struggled to follow, if not for the movement of his green lightsaber, flew passed Cam, bounced and launched into another attack.

Yet, while Cam was somehow keeping up – and that he could do that proved how powerful he was – he was fully committed to defence.

“He’s going to lose,” she muttered to herself, even if a part of her didn’t want to admit that Cam could be bettered.

Her breath caught in her throat as Master Yoda’s blade missed Cam’s arm by mere centimetres, then his throat by even less, and she brought her hand to her mouth as a gasp slipped out.

“There was never any doubt of that, my Padawan,” her Master, Cin Drallig, replied, having managed to hear her words. “While your friend is possibly the most technically gifted Padawan I have seen in my time with the Order, he is facing the Grandmaster of our Order.”

She wanted to look up at her Master, but her eyes wouldn’t look away from the spar as she felt something seemingly clench her heart as the Grandmaster’s blade sliced through some of Cam’s errant hair.

“Still, the fact that Padawan Shan has forced Master Yoda to accelerate his attacks is a testament to his skill and ability with the Force,” Drallig continued, his voice acting to calm her, if only a touch as again, the green blade missed Cam by the faintest of margins. “No other Padawan could come close, nor, I suspect, could most Knig… Hmm, unexpected.”

Her Master’s exclamation likely matched her expression, as out of nowhere, Cam seemed to find another gear and began to not just match Master Yoda for speed but begin to overpower the esteemed Grandmaster.

Master Yoda leapt backwards, barely avoiding the white edge of Cam’s blade as it hissed along the floor and the speed the pair were suddenly moving was a struggle for her to track, even with the distinct colouration of his blade as a guide.

Her lips turned upwards, and she felt that familiar feeling in her chest as Cam drove Master Yoda backwards, forcing the Grandmaster to leap away and place some distance between them. Yet, even as her smile grew at knowing everyone was seeing why he was so special, Cam’s face lost its calmness and she glanced to where he was looking to see Master Belfarr and the others standing.

Her brow creased as the pieces in her mind came together and she realised that Belfarr was one of the High Council members that seemed to be against Cam.

Why that would be, she didn’t know. To her, Cam was everything that was right about the Force and was a shining example of what the Jedi should be. But with many on the Council seemingly against Cam, she couldn’t bring herself to think about what that might mean for the Jedi Order as a whole.

She slapped down the anger that had risen inside her at the Council Member who was the likely source of all of Cam’s problems with the High Council and turned her attention back to the only thing that truly mattered.

She wanted to chastise herself for being so quick to defend Cam and support his opinions, but a feeling within told her it was right for her to do so. At times it felt as though the Force itself was whispering to her, guiding her to him. Telling her to stand with him and support him as Bastila had done for Revan millennia ago.

She, like most other Initiates, had done what research she could on Force Bonds. Though Jedi were taught that emotional attachments are bad, Force Bonds were generally seen as positive – as long as they had the right dynamic. Like many others, she had wanted to explore the possibilities of using such bonds to make stronger friends and connections. She knew that Telepathy was one of the 'perks' of a bond between two force-sensitive beings.

And now she shared a Force Bond with Cam, just as Bastila had with Revan. She firmly believed that such bonds were gifts from the Force itself and that they wouldn't be bestowed on those who were neither worthy nor compatible with each other.

A Force Bond, as she saw it, was basically the Force's way of finding and linking together the best pairs in the galaxy. Master and apprentice, brother and sister...

‘Husband and wife?’ A small voice whispered in the back of her mind before she crushed that thought even more ruthlessly than before.

This was the wrong place, and most CERTAINLY the wrong time for her to be having those kinds of thoughts.

Her master inhaled sharply, and it drew her focus back to the present, but she could not see what had caused that beyond the speed both combatants now went at.

To her, even with the two blades to follow, it was nearly impossible. The pair had accelerated to speeds that were beyond her ability to see. As the colours of the blades began to merge until there was nothing but a dark-green blur.

The blur lasted for no more than a dozen seconds, but when it faded, her shoulders slumped and she took an instinctual step forward at seeing Cam standing there with Yoda’s blade almost touching his neck.

“The spar may be over Padawan, but they have not yet depowered their lightsabers,” Drallig stated as he gripped her shoulder firmly.

“Y-yes, Master,” She replied as a lump formed in her throat. She knew it was only a spar, but seeing a blade that close to her Cam’s throat…

It made something inside her shake, and she felt the need to help him, to protect him, to step in front of the blade for him.

“Be mindful of your emotions, my Padawan.” She blinked at her master’s words as she realised that her fear for Cam, even if it was just a spar, had caused her swirling emotions to leak out into the Force, allowing her master to sense her feelings.

She reminded herself belatedly that she also shared a Force Bond with him as well, although she was certain it wasn't nearly as pronounced. Neither of them had initiated a telepathic link between them yet.

She didn't know why, but the warm feeling returned in full as she realized that her bond with Cam was far stronger than her bond with her Master.

At these thoughts, her emotions began to calm, and she was able to verbally reply, “Yes, Master.”

‘Emotion, yet Peace. Emotion, yet Peace. Emotion, yet Peace.’ She mentally recited the alternate version of the Code – the one Cam had mentioned to her during their Initiate trials – to herself until her concern, anger and other emotions no longer threatened to overwhelm her senses.

That version of the Code, one used in the days of the ancient Jedi, before even the wars of the Old Republic, felt more natural to her. Yet there were times when it was still not ideal to use. Like something was missing, but she didn’t know what.

Not long after she stopped the recitation, Yoda nodded at Cam turned away, and Cam turned to face her.

To her, the fact that her emotions came under control just as he did so was another sign that the Force wanted her to be beside him, and she walked to him quickly; but not too quickly. “That could’ve gone better,” he muttered to her once she was close enough, his eyes not on her for the moment.

Her eyes followed his and saw the venerable Grandmaster reach Master Windu. The Master of the Order appeared to want to stare into Cam’s very soul with the intensity of his gaze, but, when she looked back it appeared that Cam was entirely unbothered by it.

“That was incredible,” her head snapped around at hearing Sia-Lan’s words and discovered that she was no longer the only one standing near him. Sia, Darihd and Rachi had all joined them, with a few more closing in, and she felt a spike of jealousy, that she quickly slapped down as Cam smiled at Sia.

Sia… was a friend to them both, not a threat, she told herself even as Cam responded to the other girl’s statement.

“Not really, I lost.” He replied with a small smile as he clipped his lightsaber back onto his belt and chuckled. “And badly at that.”

She sensed the feeling inside return at how easily he deflected praise and didn’t seek out attention. He was an ideal in the Force she wished one day to match.

“But you landed a hit on the Grandmaster!” Rachi countered, and this time she felt a jolt of anger, though she quickly pushed it down.

Rachi… was older than her and had begun to develop physically. She knew one day soon she’d start to develop similarly, but something about the lavender-skinned girl made her feel funny. It wasn’t dissimilar to how Cam made her feel, but it was strange. Though it didn’t seem wrong, just… different.

And she owed the older Twi’lek as if not for Rachi, she would never have heard him sing. But she had, and now, she often found herself humming one of his songs, especially ‘Lean on Me’, when trying to meditate or study. Much to her master’s annoyance.

Anyway, Cam had said he and Rachi were just friends, and she could admit that the Twi’lek wasn’t that bad of a being to be around, even if she still teased her about Cam.

And because of her, she had heard Cam’s songs. Those songs were just like the stories he wrote, different, strange, and enthralling. And they always reminded her of him whenever she sang them to herself and made her feel happy inside.

And even if Rachi stayed Cam’s friend, she was still his first and best friend. No one would ever take that role from her.

“That… was a mistake,” Cam replied, rubbing the back of his neck.

The others all looked confused at his words, but she understood why he had said it, and she felt herself stand taller as she explained.

“It will just draw more attention to Cam,” she began, trying to not smile at how she knew him better than anyone else, “he hates the attention.”

“That’s about right,” he said, giving her a smile that made her feel happy and sent that familiar and welcome tingle through her soul. “And I’d also prefer to have not shown what I could do so openly.”

“Why though?” Asked a friendly Zeltron Padawan with bright red hair whose name escaped her for the moment. Though she did remember that the Zeltron had a laser-sharp tongue and while she looked to be a year or so younger than her and Cam, it was sometimes hard to tell on just looks alone “It gives us all a goal to achieve.”

Cam looked at the girl for a moment, and she swore she felt a shift in the Force, followed by a sense of amusement, but it passed before he replied.

“I know that Aoi, but there are some here that will take it the wrong way and think I’m getting special treatment.”

Darihd chuckled and slapped Cam on the shoulder.

“Cam, you have two Masters. You are getting special treatment,” he countered with a smile that exposed some teeth. That drew a laugh from everyone else around them, but not from her. She knew he disliked the attention, but the fact he had two masters resulted in an idea forming in her mind.

The rules stated that no Jedi may take more than one Padawan, even on a temporary assignment. That meant that if, if she could convince her own master to allow it, she could travel with Cam the next time he left the Temple.

She respected her master deeply and felt honoured to be the Padawan of the Jedi Battlemaster. But she yearned to leave the Temple and travel the galaxy. To explore strange new worlds and see other civilizations. And if she got to do that by Cam’s side, all the better.

In that instant, she felt a wave of energy wash over her, and she knew it was the Force. It was telling her that this was what it wanted, what she had to do, and she promised herself and it that she would find a way to make it happen.

“A most impressive performance, Cameron.”

She was dragged from her thoughts by a voice she didn’t recognize, and her head pivoted to see the Senator from before had approached along with Knight C’baoth – Force, did he need to shave that beard as reached to his stomach – and Lorana.

She noted that the other Padawans had not only turned to face the newcomers but moved to place Cam at the centre of their group; with her to his right.

“I did not realise that a Jedi could move so quickly.” The Senator finished as his eyes did a quick once over of the Padawans, though they lingered on her for a split second longer than the rest, before returning to Cam.

Cam rubbed the back of his neck as he responded. “It’s not something I’ve done often, Senator Palpatine. I just… lost myself in the duel.” He chuckled once, but it was a strange sound to her, as though it wasn’t fully alive and more for show. “Though I realised quickly how far I still have to go to be able to stand against someone like the Grandmaster.”

“Indeed. Master Yoda is an immensely powerful Jedi. Yet, from my understanding, he has had centuries to master his technique. You, my boy, have only had a few years. Most impressive.”

The senator gave Cam a gentle smile, but something about it felt off about the way he looked at Cam. A whisper, almost like a voice lost in the wind, that she felt was the Force trying to speak to her, told her to keep Cam away from the man, even as he continued.

“And I believe I said you did not have to refer to me by my title, my boy.”

Cam smiled back, though as with the earlier chuckle, it wasn’t quite right. The corners of his lips always twitched up when he smiled at her, yet here they didn’t. It was as though Cam was wearing the smile to hide something rather than to show his true opinion.

“Of course, uncle.”

A cold shiver went up her spine at hearing Cam refer to the Senator as ‘uncle’. Yet she trusted Cam, and so wouldn’t react to his behaviour; now she just had to hope the other Padawans didn’t give Cam away.

“I was unaware you two were related Sheev,” Lorana’s master commented, in a burly voice that she admitted instantly drew attention to the man, earning a chuckle from the Senator as he shifted his attention from Cam to the Jedi Knight.

“We are not, Jorus. It is merely a personal joke between young Cameron and myself,” he replied as he indicated Cam with a hand. “He is the boy I told you who took down the kidnapping ring.”

The Jedi master turned and looked Cam over carefully, his eyes seeming to take in every section of Cam’s frame.

She knew he was just taking the measure of Cam, but she wasn’t happy about it. Ignoring the glint that appeared in the Knight’s eye, her talks with Lorana had her on edge regarding the senior Jedi present.

Lorana had talked about how her master often spoke of the fact that Jedi were superior to most within the galaxy and that their connection to the Force meant they should, if not be outright in command, then be very near the top of the command chain for running the Republic and the galaxy.

She didn’t wholly disagree that the Jedi should have a role in leading the galaxy and being more active away from the Core to help those who were less well off. However, from how Lorana spoke, her master hinted at wanting to do more than just guide everyone else.

She’d tried to convince Lorana to talk to someone else, even just Master Drallig, the girl was too shy and unwilling to go against her master to do so. And while she wanted to help, she knew going behind Lorana’s back would only result in her fellow Padawan getting in trouble, and likely cost her a friend.

“Ah, the child of Revan. Then I can understand fully why he was able to do so,” the Knight extended his hand and smiled at Cam. “Jedi Knight Jorus C’baoth. A pleasure to meet you Padawan. Though I expect both of us to have moved up in the Order in the next few years. Greatness cannot be denied.”

Cam took the offered hand and smiled again, though she could tell that this one was even more disingenuous, and a fleeting twitch of the Senator’s lips suggested he’d picked up on it too.

“Likewise, Knight C’baoth.”

Cam’s reply was polite, she supposed, but he did not comment on the rather unusual statement Knight C’baoth had made. Which was probably for the best.

She knew Cam was destined for great things, but if he so openly admitted it, he would not be the boy she liked… as a friend.

The Senator – whose name still escaped her – smiled as he looked from C’baoth to Cameron and back, though the way his eyes seemed to focus on the pair unnerved her. But she didn’t know why.

“Like yourself, Cameron, Jorus here is a proponent of the Jedi being more active in the galaxy,” the Senator began with a smile that reminded her of how her Master smiled at her, yet it invoked that shiver in her spine that she had felt earlier when looking at him. “Though he is far more… open than other Jedi about how that help should be applied.”

“Yes, we Jedi are beyond the average citizen of the galaxy and have a duty to guide those beneath us,” Master C’baoth stated with a wide smile as he continued to shake Cam’s hand. “Beings with the guidance of the Force have the potential to do so much to help the galaxy from positions of importance.”

She kept her face as neutral as she could as he put a voice to the opinions that Lorana had mentioned, though she did note that Master C’baoth was more subtle here than he had been when in private with his Padawan.

“I thank you for the kind words, Master C’baoth, however, I prefer to leave such decisions up to my Masters.” To her ears, Cam’s reply was perfect. It didn’t offend the older Jedi, but, if you knew Cam well enough, it made it clear he wasn’t in full agreement with the Jedi Knight’s ideas.

“Yes, yes. Of course,” C’baoth said as he broke the handshake, a smile still on his face, though she did enjoy the fact it had slipped at Cam’s subtle dismissal. “I would listen carefully to Master Dooku on such matters. He is more… enlightened than many in our Order.”

Now she felt her brow crease. While Master Dooku was intimidating and standoffish, he did not suggest that the Jedi should rule over others as Lorana had hinted that Knight C’baoth did in private.

She could admit, however, that her understanding of the Makashi master was based on Cam’s opinions of the man. But she trusted Cam.

“I will consider your words, Master Jedi,” Cam responded with a slight bow, though she could tell he was just going through the motions. And, judging by the slight twitch of his lips, it looked like the senator could also see through Cam’s actions to see the true feelings behind them.

“However, if you will excuse me, I promised my friends here to show them a few more advanced Makashi velocities,” Cam added as he finished the bow, instantly denying any further discussion with the Senator of Jedi Knight.

C’baoth’s eyebrows turned downwards even as the Senator smiled widely.

“Of course, my boy,” he waved his hand to take in her and the others around Cam, “one should always prefer the company of friends over politicians. Do enjoy your day Padawans” he added as his eyes swept over them all, but she felt they lingered on her for a moment longer than the others before they returned to Cam.

“And remember my boy, my door is always open to you, Cameron, should you feel the need to speak to someone outside of the Jedi. I feel you will do amazing things in the future and will be watching with great interest to see what you can accomplish.” The Senator added as he placed a hand on Cam’s shoulder. She ignored the flashing image of her cutting the offending hand off even as it was removed.

Even as he spoke those words, she felt a whisper in the wind – which she felt was the Force itself – warning her to be careful around the man and keep him away from Cam.

Cam smiled and gave the Senator a nod. “You are too kind uncle.”

The Senator chuckled at Cam’s words and turned to C’baoth. “I believe we have been dismissed Jorus. Though perhaps we might continue our discussion from earlier?”

C’baoth gave Cam one last look before returning the Senator’s smile with one of his own. “Certainly.”

She watched as the pair turned and walked away.

Lorana looked at her with sad eyes and mouthed ‘sorry’ before taking off after the pair.

Something about those two unnerved her. Perhaps it was just because they came at Cam together, perhaps it was because both were individually dangerous to him. She did not know exactly, but she made a vow to be ready to protect her Cam from them; and anyone else that tried to hurt him.

Suddenly, there was a shift in the Force, like when Cam had looked at Aoi, but this time it seemed directed at the two adults. It was a shift she had felt before when around Cam and was unique to him, but normally people didn’t seem to react to it.

This time, both C’baoth and the Senator stopped, with the Senator turning around and fixing his eyes on her.

An icy shiver shot up her spine as the eyes seemed to shift for a split second and she swore she felt anger drill into her.

Though the moment passed before she could fully comprehend what had happened and the Senator turned back to Knight C’baoth as they and Lorana left the sparring room.

“Serra?”

She turned at her name and saw Cam standing behind her.

“Are you coming?” He asked, a soft smile on his face as their eyes met and she couldn’t help but return the smile.

“Yeah.”

As they walked off together to catch up with the waiting Padawans, and she ignored the fact that walking by his side felt like the right place to be, she let her mind wander back to her earlier idea.

After this session, she would speak with her master and do whatever it took to convince him that she should be allowed to travel with Cam and his masters the next time they left the Temple.

Though her thoughts were quickly brought back to the small conversation she’d just witnessed between Cam, Knight C’baoth and the Senator.

Something about those two continued to trouble her, and she doubled her resolve to do whatever it took to stay near Cam.

To keep him safe from others, of course.

Though, if that meant she became better friends with him, then she wouldn’t complain.

… ...

(Cam’s POV)

As the doors to my quarters closed, I let out a sigh and collapsed onto my bed. The duel earlier with Yoda had been eye-opening, in more ways than one.

When I’d first been informed about the spar, a quest had been generated: Trial of the Grandmaster. For the quest, I only had to survive five minutes to complete it – though given I was facing the Grandmaster of the Jedi Order and someone with hundreds of years of experience, it was still a B-rated quest.

At first, that had felt like too low a rating, but since it was a simple spar and not a fight to the death, it did make sense. There had been four bonus objectives, and I’d assumed they were for winning outright, or at least making Yoda work in the spar and landing a blow upon the Grandmaster.

When I’d been informed about the spar, I hadn’t been given a reason for why the Grandmaster would be duelling with me, however, Fay and Dooku had explained later that it was due to my supposed status as the Chosen One and how elements within the Order were concerned about the rate of my progress.

Going into the spar, I’d known Yoda was excellent with a lightsaber – nine hundred years of experience meant he wasn’t going to be weak – but I’d quickly discovered that he was so far beyond me that it was terrifying to experience.

The ease with which he adapted movements of other Forms into his preferred Ataru was incredible. And the speed and grace with which he moved around as we sparred had been breath-taking.

It was awe-inspiring, both to see and to be a part of, and up until I’d made a mistake, acting on instinct and striking him with a Force Blast, I could tell that we had both been enjoying ourselves somewhat.

I knew as soon as the blast struck him that I’d screwed up, and the faintest of smiles he gave as our eyes met afterwards confirmed that. But the speed he came at me next was just shocking.

I had never seen anyone – bar myself – move that fast before, and I understood how others must have felt when I attacked with Force Speed active. Still, if I hadn’t increased my speed with the Force, I’d have been overwhelmed in seconds.

I was able to fend off the attacks, but it still shook me to see someone move so fast.

Then again, since I was in the high Master range – the fourth of the six tiers – with Force Speed, it made sense that Jedi Masters would also be capable of that kind of velocity. And that those like Yoda could absolutely blitz me

However, after managing to survive Yoda’s onslaught, the quest and its hidden bonuses had come to the forefront of my mind and I’d decided to try to win the spar.

That had been a gross miscalculation.

While I had forced Yoda onto the defensive, I realised as he created distance between us that Palpatine was watching from above.

How he knew about the spar and arranged to be in the Temple at just the right moment to witness it, I didn’t know or care about. What I did was that I’d just revealed how far I was beyond my peers to a Dark Lord of the Sith.

Though I think the smirk Yoda sent me as he landed was more terrifying than having Darth Sidious know how powerful I was and it felt as though my blood had frozen solid in fear.

My fear was confirmed as Yoda came at me with a speed I’d never seen, or imagined, before.

Even with Precognition being maxed and all but guiding my body automatically, I could barely keep up with Yoda’s strikes. And about a dozen seconds after the fury was unleashed, I felt the heat of his blade at my throat with my own far unable to move to prevent my decapitation.

After we depowered our blades, Yoda expressed admiration for my prowess and commended me on my comfort with the first three Forms of lightsaber combat: especially Makashi. He was also impressed that I had taken the opening he had left early in the spar as most Knights could or did not and even other Jedi Masters were reluctant to bring in Force abilities into spars with him.

He was also impressed at how comfortable I was with using the Force to enhance my abilities and remarked that many Knights were unable to accelerate their thoughts and movements to the level I’d displayed.

However, he reminded me that overconfidence was a failing which led to the death of many, including Jedi and that I should know my limitations and strive to learn to turn them from a weakness into a strength. As he had done with his height or lack thereof.

After promising to heed his warnings, I had watched as he slowly walked over to where Windu was standing. The Master of the Order fixed me with another one of his piercing glares, but after a few years here – and a lifetime of dealing with similar glares before I came to this universe – I wasn’t concerned by them.

I wasn’t arrogant to think I could take him in a duel – not least as I knew that Windu was one of the few to spar semi-regularly with Yoda – and I had learnt quickly to not place much stock in his opinions about my place in the Jedi and the Republic.

The man was very loyal to the Republic, and I wondered if that loyalty had been exploited by Palpatine during the years leading up to Order 66.

I’d shifted my gaze away from the Master of the Order and called up the quest completion for Trial of the Grandmaster. Which was when I’d discovered that the bonuses were not as I’d anticipated.

There was one to win the spar, and another to land a blow on Yoda, but the last two resulted in me wanting to smash my head against a wall.

Those two had been for me to not use any outward Force abilities – I’d failed by using Force Blast – and to not reveal to others just how far I had gone in my training – which I’d failed spectacularly.

At the time, I hadn’t had much time to process what the quest was saying as that was when Serra and the others arrived at my side.

Now though, in the privacy of my room, I could. And I could see the flaw that often crept into my actions.

It occurred to me that there were moments when I was more focused on the quests generated than the world around me. I wasn’t talking about the training quests, which served a similar fashion to goals I used to set myself in my old life, or quests in general. I was meaning more about how I went about things.

There were times, like earlier today when I focused too much on the quest and all the XP it could grant me instead of the bigger picture. When that extra little bit of XP was more important to everything going on around me.

There had been times that I’d used people I considered my friends to help my skills or Force Powers improve instead of just enjoying my time with them.

I mean, the Interface could even offer me a quest to make say, ten people, into my friends by the time I was sixteen.

A Quest Alert notice appeared, but I rejected it instantly. All that did was prove that I had to be careful to not just become a person endlessly searching for a destination but making sure I enjoyed the journey that I was on.

Yes, I knew what was coming – though I felt I was altering things in ways that I didn’t and couldn’t fully understand – but, I realized there was no need for me to rush towards every goal set by a quest.

Taking my mind back to the review of the day – as considering what was to come for the galaxy was always a little depressing – I thought about what I talked about with Serra and the others.

The others talked about my performance against Yoda, with only Serra having an inkling of why I was annoyed at revealing the level of my abilities, though she had zoned out as the rest had talked.

Only a few minutes had passed before Palpatine and a Jedi that, until that moment, I had never heard about or seen, in this life or the last, approached.

Jorus C’baoth was…not your typical Jedi – not that I was either – but his views on the roles Jedi should play were more towards the Sith side of thinking than a Jedi’s.

While his belief about a Jedi being better suited to leading others wasn’t that far-fetched, his thinking that implied that a Jedi should rule over those beneath them certainly was.

I’d been as polite as I could with Knight C’baoth, but I think both Palpatine and Serra had seen through my expressions to sense how I truly felt. While I had expected that from Palpatine, what with him being both a politician and a Sith hiding in plain sight, it was a surprise for Serra to do that. She wasn’t that high a level – being only Level 16 at thirteen years of age, which was better than all the other Padawans our age, bar me – but she was far more attuned to me than I had realised.

When I had a moment to myself, I pulled up my Force Bond listings and discovered that my bond with Serra was, like those with Fay and Dooku, High. Though the fact that I could use it to speak to her was something I was still getting used to and since the last of her last anger-induced duels with Rachi, I hadn’t spoken to her that way.

I was still trying to process how our bond could be that strong, as we did not spend that much time around each other – save when I returned to the Temple – but it did explain a few of the more…concerning revelations provided to me by Observe.

Speaking of Observe, I had risked using it on Palpatine and C’baoth as they had left the sparring arena.

For C’baoth, it had told me his age and level were both 33, though, with that long white beard, he looked closer to Dooku's age than that. Observe had also shown that he hoped that I would one day prove his thoughts on the role of Jedi true, and wished that I was his Padawan instead of Lorana Jinzler.

I didn’t know Lorana well, though I had sparred with her. However, Serra counted her as a friend which made her a potential recruit for the Coalition later on. Though only once she was away from C’baoth.

For Palpatine… I winced as I pulled up the report and remembered that he had sensed me using it.

Sheev Palpatine [Darth Sidious]

Race: Human

Level: 47

Health: 100%

Age: 44

Force Potential: Very High

Threat Potential: Extreme

Reputation: Neutral [LOCKED]

Affiliation Loyalty: Himself (100%) Order of the Sith Lords (65%)

Emotional State: Calm/Intrigued/Curious

While externally calm, the Dark Lord of the Sith is internally highly intrigued by your performance.

He senses great power and potential in you and hopes to one day take you as his apprentice.

He also is curious about Jorus C’baoth and Serra Keto and feels both have a role to play in the Grand Plan.

…

He was only a few levels behind Fay, at about a fifteenth her age – which had me both anxious and fascinated as to what Yoda’s level was – and was focused on me to become his apprentice.

Given that Maul was alive and kicking currently, and that, to the best of my knowledge so was Darth Plagueis, it was intriguing he was already planning for me to replace Maul. Yet it did make sense.

Anakin wasn’t around yet, and I didn’t plan to put the boy in Sidious’ crosshairs. Plus, with my arrival here, and the bloodline I represented I would attract attention from the Sith for the very same reasons I did from the High Council.

Palpatine’s interest in C’baoth suggested that he might become the replacement for Dooku, but the interest in Serra had confused me. At least until I’d thought about our alignment in the room when I’d cast Observe.

She had been between Palpatine and me, so it was likely that when he had sensed me using it, he had suspected that it came from her and not me.

That, more than anything I had learnt from observing Palpatine, worried me. Serra was my friend, my best friend in all actuality, and someone I planned to bring into the Coalition when she was older.

Even now, several hours later, I felt a fear building up inside me at the Sith going after Serra, but I was able to let the fear dissipate. I was far, far too young to be dealing with that shit again, but I knew I’d have to.

But unlike everyone else my age, I had a handle on what my feelings and emotions could do to me.

Still, the fear disappeared as I remembered Serra’s plan, which she discussed with me after I had convinced her to try changing her style away from Ataru and promised to help her adapt to using a shoto-saber in her off-hand.

It seemed that Serra, entirely without my help or hinting – not that I was complaining, as I did want to do a better job of making friends without quests directing my actions – was going to convince Master Drallig to allow her to accompany me, Dooku, and Fay when we next left the Temple.

I had taken her aside and, after swearing her to secrecy, told her that I hoped/planned to visit Mandalore and why. She had pouted at hearing another female had made the offer, and it was cute to see, but her mood had improved when I’d explained how old Nia was.

If I didn’t have my past life to draw on, I’d very likely be missing the signs of her developing infatuation. But even knowing it was growing, didn’t help me in working out how to handle it.

Ignoring the way my body was reacting to her, Serra was…important to me. She was the one who had brought me into contact with others our age. While it may or may not have been a dare to do so, she had kept talking with me and drawn me out of my shell.

If not for her, I suspected I’d have become entirely focused on my interface and everything linked to it; instead of the only mainly focused on it so it made sense that she was the first person who I’d make a real, non-interface-guided effort, to become good friends with.

Still, even after hearing of where I planned to go and why, Serra was adamant that she be allowed to join me, so I promised to speak with Fay and Dooku about it. Which I had done just before turning in for the night.

After sharing a smile, which I pointedly played dumb about as I did not need THAT talk from a Jedi, they both expressed their support for the idea with Fay commenting on the fact that it was good that I wanted to spend time with the people that were important to me and could help with our plans for the future.

She then warned me that placing importance on someone needed to be tempered by an understanding that they might not always agree with you or do as you want. However, it seemed they both had trust in me to understand this lesson and impart it to Serra.

I didn’t say anything in return, choosing to simply nod and return to my quarters.

As I considered Serra’s plan, I suspected we had a few weeks, perhaps even a month, to convince Master Drallig to allow her to accompany us. I had a few ideas about how to manage this, but in the end, all I could do was offer them to Serra and let her choose. Master Drallig was her master, so she would know him best.

Those remaining weeks would have to be enough for me to finish the handful of training quests I had running.

I hadn’t managed to get the first bonus from Legendary Swordsman, but it wasn’t a big deal.

Thanks to the recently completed Trial of the Grandmaster and from duelling and defeating over a dozen new Padawans and three Knights, and gaining XP from the Training Superiority quest, I was only about a thousand XP from level 23.

One thing I was making sure to do with those opponents was to pick those who were not close to the level rank for moving up. Most Knights were above Level 20 the few Jedi Masters that I’d risked using Observe on were above Level 30.

Thus, I targeted only those who were more than four levels from a rank increase. It was petty, and I expected the quest to alter once I was knighted, but there were more than enough Jedi around for me to not waste the extra future XP for lower XP now.

I now had quests for both Ataru and Djem So, to raise the pair to Professional:1 at least. Doing that would take all my lightsaber forms, bar Juyo and its variant Vaapad to the Professional tier.

While I’d like to start learning those two, Dooku had forbidden me from learning Juyo until I was older and since there were only two masters of Vaapad in the order – and one was Windu – it was unlikely I would be learning the form any time soon.

For other skills, I had a quest to raise Teräs Käsi to Adept:1 and quests to get Piloting [Space] and Piloting [Atmosphere] to Professional:1.

Teräs Käsi was easy enough to learn as Bultar was more than happy to teach me, and the piloting skills I could train on a simulator; though since I spent an hour or two on them every day, I did get a few questioning looks.

While the simulator yielded less XP than actually flying, I figured it would raise fewer eyebrows than for me to constantly ask to borrow one of the temple's speeders or starfighters.

All the training quests now had a third bonus, which judging by what Legendary Swordsman stated when I completed the quest but failed the bonus objective, was to reach level 75 of the relevant tier, which made sense. As did the fact that if a skill was over level 50 of a tier, I couldn’t get a training quest for the next tier. I had discovered that when I tried to generate a quest to get Hand to Hand to Savant:1 and it had rejected the quest due to the skill being at Professional:51.

At night I was abusing the Temple’s twenty-five per cent bonus to Force Power XP for powers like Teleport, Phase, Compulsion and Persuasion. The last two could be used on droids, but only for half XP, as it would fail, for rather obvious reasons.

I was still surprised the Interface hadn’t closed that loophole with the upgrade – it had closed the one where I could punch a wall and quickly gain Damage Resistance [Physical] XP easily which slowed down the increasing of that and Force Heal – but I was not complaining as both mental Force powers were in the Master range already.

I had already maxed out Enhance Senses since coming back to the Temple, taking the total of maxed powers to nine, and I expected both Detection and Comprehend Speech to be maxed by the time I left once more. This was in no small part due to the Jedi Temple bonus as well.

Still, I put all of that out of my mind for the moment. After today I felt like a nice long shower. One good thing about being back at the Temple was not having to ration how long my showers were due to limited water supplies.

And after the shower, I figured I’d sleep and reset the clock, so to speak, on the thirty-day no-sleep advantage I had from having maxing out Force Serenity.

… …

… …