12 Chapter 12: Initiate Training 7

I stepped to the side a touch as my opponent swung his blade and then guided his blade away, making him stumble and allowing me to tap him gently near where his kidney was; or where it would be in a Human since the other Initiate was a Duros.

"Point, Shan." Bondara called out, and I grinned at my opponent. That tied the score at 2-2 in my 2nd duel in 11-and-older lightsaber duels having won my 1st duel by letting an attack phase through me before pushing that Initiate from the duelling circle.

The Duros leapt way, re-establishing distance between us as I smirked and taunted him by turning off my lightsaber, his red eyes narrowed at my actions, but he didn't leap into to attack me.

"What's the matter? Afraid to attack me?" I taunted, hoping to make him commit rashly. I'd come across this approach – known as Dun Möch – in the archives a while back but this match was the first time that I'd applied it in combat.

It felt like it was nothing more than typical taunting, but the files I'd read suggested that by applying a Force Compulsion to the taunt, it could unsettle an opponent and weaken their connection to the Force. Since Compulsion was at Novice 1, I was adding in a Force Weaken as well; that supposedly lowered a targets connection to the Force by a certain percentage for a while dependent on level.

The effects might be low, but even the slightest disruption of a target's connection to the Force might be enough to bring any of their own fears to the surface.

The only issue was that using both cost 500FP a go, so I was reaching a point where I couldn't use it again without my FP going so low that Precognition and Bullet-Time would turn off; which would all but certainly cost me the duel.

"You think to trick me into a rash move?" the Duros asked as we slowly circled each other, his blade aimed at me while mine stayed turned off. "To charge in blindly like a fool?"

Time to just try good, old-fashioned taunting and see where that got me. I shrugged. "Well, if the shoe fits." He blinked a few times, clearly not getting the metaphor. 'Huh, figured that 1 would still work here.'

"Why would my footwear matter?" He asked with a blink of confusion.

I sighed and shook my head. "Never mind, you're too dumb to understand the level my mind works at. Is that normal for your species or are you a special case?" I asked with a smirk, which grew as his red eyes narrowed. "Ah, must just be you then," I added, rubbing in the insult. 'Man, this is too easy' Seriously, did the Jedi not teach the Younglings and Initiates how to handle a few simple insults?

He growled and stepped forward, his knees bending as if to leap, only to stop and take a deep breath. "No. I will not let you trick me."

"So no basic maths then?" I asked quickly, starting to enjoy the taunting. It was childish, but hey, we were both kids! "Like 12 plus 14. Or should I make it even easier? What's 2 plus 1?" I chuckled as he didn't respond. "Oh come on. That's easy. Here I'll help you."

I held up my hand and started to count loudly. "1, 2…"

With a growl he leapt, using the Force to propel himself higher than normal, his blade held high above his head.

As he began his downward arc, I closed my fist and yanked his lightsaber towards the floor.

My smirk turned into a smile as his eyes widened as he realised what I was doing, but he didn't release his grip and face-planted into the floor hard.

"3." I stated as I placed my still turned-off blade to the back of his neck.

"Winner Shan." Bondara called out as the light came back on and I rolled the Duros over.

"No hard feelings?" I asked as I held out my open hand.

He growled and slapped it away, pulling himself to his feet, before walking from the circle.

I shrugged at his behaviour, not bothered that he was pissed about losing, or that my taunting had worked, and walked out of the hall. No one from Dragon Clan was currently around as Serra's 2nd match wasn't for about an hour and Aayla's was after that, so I figured I'd head to my room to relax before my next bout.

"Cameron, wait up!" I turned and smiled at the familiar voice.

"Serra. You here for your match?" I asked calmly even as I wondered why she'd picked now to talk to me as we hadn't spoken directly since the free-for-all yesterday evening.

After the meeting with Chancellor Kalpana, then the short talk with Master Sifo-Dyas and Palpatine, I'd found only Darihd and Jaeman in the mess hall, which when I saw it was nearly 9 by the time I got there, wasn't a surprise. We'd sat at the same table this morning for breakfast, but she hadn't even looked in my direction, so I'd avoided talking with her. Instead I had spent time with boys of Dragon Clan; the younger members asking me for pointers on Makashi while we ate.

"Kind of," She said, her eyes meeting mine for a moment before they darted away. "I, I was hoping we could talk. Just the 2 of us."

"Sure, how about my quarters?" I suggested since it was only about a five-minute walk from here; provided the elevators weren't busy.

"Actually, I was thinking we could talk in the Gardens." Serra said slowly.

"Sure." I agreed with a shrug and we walked quietly to the nearest elevator, then rode it in silence until we reached the garden.

She took my hand and lead me down one of the paths, ducking and weaving to avoid the overhanging leaves and branches until we arrived a bench.

"This, this is where I come to think by myself." She said as we sat.

"It seems peaceful."

"Yeah. I, I spent a bit of time here last night thinking." She took a deep breath and then turned to face me, bringing her legs up to sit cross-legged. "I'm sorry for how I acted. I was angry with what happened between you and Sia and I wanted to hurt you when I had no reason to be so angry."

I smiled and turned to face her. "There's nothing wrong with being angry, we're not machines after all."

"I know, but we are Jedi, or we will be, and we shouldn't let our emotions control us. There is no emotion, there is peace." She said, stating the first line of the Jedi Code.

"I prefer emotion, yet peace." She tilted her in a way I knew meant she was either unsure and/or curious about something. "It's an older form of the Code I came across in the archives, from before the time of my great-grandfather. I personally like it better than the one you quoted."

"Why?"

I smiled at her. "I'll leave it up to you to consider what the differences are, and why I'd prefer it. And I accept the apology." She smiled back at me. "Still not sure why you were angry though." OK, I had a very good idea why she had been, but I had to act like an 8-year-old, and they wouldn't; at least not most boys. Her cheeks tinted red and I waved my hand aimlessly. "Doesn't matter anyway. You're my friend. My first one here."

She smiled happily. "Thanks." I turned back to face the path and we sat there in silence for a while, letting me slip into a meditative state to restore my FP.

"What did it feel like?" She asked, breaking my meditation.

"What?" I asked, silently hoping she was not asking about what I thought she was asking about.

"The kiss. What did it feel like?"

I kept my eyes straight ahead, not wanting to turn and face an 8-year-old girl who I was all but certain had a crush on me. 'This is starting to become an issue. How to stop this without losing a friend and someone I might need later on when it comes time to move against Palpatine?'

"I, I don't know. I wasn't exactly thinking about kissing her beforehand, nor have I done so afterwards." I said slowly.

"Hmm, ok." She said quietly and again we slipped into silence.

I felt her shift around a few times as we sat there, and I was certain she wanted to say more but was probably worried/afraid to do so. And there was no way I was going to say or do anything with her. Not now. Though once we were older, much older, I might be willing to see how far this could go.

I knew the Jedi were supposed to stay celibate, but my 'family' wasn't exactly known for obeying that rule, or others, and my great-great-whatever niece Satele had had a child of her own and still been Grandmaster of the Jedi.

Still, I was only 8 now and…

My thoughts were interrupted by a beeping sound and I opened my eyes to see Serra pulling her commlink.

"Um, I've got to go. My match is in 10 minutes." She said as she stood from the bench.

"Want me to come?" I asked, earning a smile from her.

"Sure."

…

At the end of the day, I stood with all the other Initiates who had taken part in the Trails in the Room of 100 Fountains, patiently waiting for the High Council to speak. OK, I wasn't patiently waiting, I was just acting like I was so that this week could be over, the quest would finish, and I would experience the first level up of my powers.

"The Initiate Trials are now over, and we are impressed with how all of you have done," Master Windu said from the small stage where he stood with the other members of the Jedi High Council. "This year we've seen impressive displays from Initiates, young and old, and a new record set in the Obstacle Course that may not be challenged for some time."

I resisted the urge to smirk at the indirect praise, even as Aayla gave me a shoulder bump and others turned to look at me. I just wished I hadn't lost to Jon from Katarn Clan in the 3rd round of the lightsaber duels; though thankfully Serra took him out in the next round. I was impressed that she made it all the way to the older free-for-all and it had me a little worried if I could complete the quest to beat her in a duel before we became Knights. But I had years to deal with that, so I wasn't letting it bother me too much.

"Tomorrow you are free to spend your time how you wish. That said, as always, no Initiate may leave the Temple without permission from a member of 1 of the Jedi Councils and an escort from a fully established Jedi." He stated, his eyes narrowing as they wandered over the crowd of children. "In addition, the Council of First Knowledge will be speaking with most of you over the next few days to discuss your performance and future. Be assured that not one of you have failed the Order, nor will be dismissed from the Order for struggling at any event.

"Regular classes will resume the day after tomorrow. Dismissed."

I smiled as I saw the notice in my log for completion of a quest and another for a level-up, but I wasn't going to open them until I was alone to avoid comments about me concentrating on nothing.

"So what do we do with our time off?" Jaeman asked as Dragon Clan gathered around me.

"What about getting Cam to show us how to Phase?" Serra suggested, making Darihd frown, though it still looked strange to see someone do so when they lacked eyebrows.

"He is forbidden from teaching us how to Phase or Teleport."

Serra smirked crookedly. "Yes, but nothing was said about us watching him do it a few times to see if we can see how he does it."

I chuckled at that, as it was something that I'd thought about with the exact wording of the orders the Council of First Knowledge had given me regarding my powers. I should've expected someone else to spot that flaw as well.

"She's right. I mean, it's not like he is actively teaching us to do it. More like we're watching him practice." Aayla added with a smile that exposed her sharp teeth as she gave me another friendly bump.

"Yes, but there is the chance the Council would not look kindly on us trying to circumvent their ruling." Darihd countered, standing his ground.

"I'm with them," Sia-Lan said with a tilt of her head to the other 2 girls who'd spoken. "The worst they can do is give us extra chores as we'd not be actually breaking any rules."

'Well, they could kick you out of the Order, but that'd be an overreaction.' I thought to myself as Darihd rubbed his chin as Jaeman and Funt voiced their agreement with the girls.

"Fine, but we're not bringing the younger ones into this. Only those who were in the Trials." Darihd sighed, relenting under the combined weight of the rest of his Clan. "This is dangerous if it goes wrong and I'm not risking any of them on our decision."

"Agreed." Sia-Lan said with a smile. "Though once they take part in the Trials, we'll let them watch."

"Don't I get a say in this?" I asked with a smirk. Truthfully, I was fine with this, since I wasn't breaking the order, and if the Council got stroppy, I could use it as an excuse to leave the Order; or extract something from them to get me to stay.

"No!" Aayla, Serra and Sia-Lan said at once, which made me chuckle as I raised my hands in mock-surrender.

"Fine. Far be it from me to go against 3 pretty girls." I said, making all of them blush to varying degrees. Aayla's was the cutest as her cheeks turned a soft lilac in colour. I was a little surprised that Sia-Lan blushed, even if it was only a very slight reddening of her cheeks. 'Fuck, did that kiss have more of an effect that I realised?'

"Initiate Shan," I turned and saw a grey-skinned Sullustan approaching. Based on his height was in his late teens, but since the growth patterns of non-Human species was not something that I was overly familiar with, I was only hazarding a guess.

"Yes?"

"I am Padawan Sivv Sebbs. I have been tasked with bringing you to a meeting with the Council of First Knowledge." He stated slowly.

I sighed and turned back to the others. "Looks like we'll have to hold off on that." I said, being vague in-case this Padawan reported that they wanted me to demonstrate my powers to a Master.

Darihd smiled and gripped me on my shoulder. "No problem, we'll just deal with it later."

"Yeah, you shouldn't keep the council waiting." Serra said with a small smile, though it seemed forced and her shoulders were drooping.

I smiled at them and followed the Padawan through the corridors of the Temple until we stepped off the elevator that took us up the spire that contained the chambers of the Council of First Knowledge.

"They await you within," Sivv said before bowing and stepping back onto the elevator.

Once those doors closed, I whispered to activate Player's Mind then stepped into the chamber. "You wished to see me?" I asked as the chamber doors closed behind me.

"Indeed we do young one," the leader of this council, Master Vilbum, his mouth moving into what I hoped was a friendly smile. "You understand why you have been called?"

I shrugged. "To talk about my performance, I assume. That is what Master Windu said you would be doing."

Vilbum chuckled deeply, his wrinkled skin flapping about as he did so, and I was glad Player's Mind was active to avoid me cringing at the action. "Yes, that we do. That and more."

"To be blunt, you are far too powerful for one with so little training," Master Piell stated, his one eye narrowing at me as he spoke. "I for one feel you should be placed on a shorter leash to avoid you become arrogant about your powers."

"We have been over this Even," the dark-skinned woman with the strange headdress said with a sigh. "The Initiate exceeded our expectations in the Trials and others have stated their intentions." I frowned at the words of Master Gallia, the name having been supplied by Jaeman after my first visit to this council chamber.

"Intentions? What intentions?" I asked slowly, my own eyes narrowing as I took in the 5 Jedi Masters in front of me. Yoda was not present like last time, so I assumed he was not a member of this council but had merely been there to see how I reacted to their instructions the first time.

"There is no threat here Initiate," Master Di stated, his blue eyes catching mine. "Relax."

"Perhaps you did not understand Master Windu's comments about our meeting with Initiates," Vilbum said slowly. "In addition to overseeing the teaching of Younglings and Initiates, this council debates on the futures of the young ones; whether that means assigning someone to one of the corps or discussing with them a potential master for future training."

"And which is to be for me?" I asked slowly. I knew the 'Trials of an Initiate' quest stated I had a chance to be taken as a Padawan, but if it was to a Jedi on one of the Councils, or who worked permanently at the Temple, I was going to leave the Order.

Vilbum chuckled once more. "We are not assigning you to a corps young one. Though there are, issues, we need to discuss with you before we can allow you to continue your studies."

Piell grumbled even as Gallia spoke. "Normally, an Initiate is selected by a Jedi and if the Initiate agrees to the match, everything is fine. Occasionally a pair of Jedi show interest in an Initiate and this council helps them make an informed choice as to which Jedi is more suitable for their growth and the direction that they wish to take with their studies." She smiled softly at me as I listened carefully.

"Then where do I fit in?"

"You are a rare breed," Master Nilas said and as I looked at the old woman, I noticed for the first time that she had a strip of light-blue cloth covering her eyes. "A light within the Force." She smiled. "Not like any Jedi I have seen before. Darkness touches your soul, yet it does not taint your essence. It makes your shine brighter, clearer than any I have seen before." I frowned at her words.

"Master Nilas is one of a rare type of Jedi called Seers." Vilbum explained, obviously seeing I was confused. "Seers are adjusted to the Force in a way few other Jedi are and are prone to powerful visions of future events." His brow drooped a touch. "Though the visions are far less than they once were."

"And she had a vision involving me?" I asked slowly, not liking the idea that the Force was trying to control what I would do or manipulate the Jedi into a course of action for me. 'Is the Force actually sentient in a way that allows it to manipulate the Jedi like they claim the Dark Side does to the Sith? And if so, is it trying to stop me from making wave, preventing me from changing what is to come?'

"She did. As did 3 other Seers." Gallia stated with a small smile. "Such an event has not happened in living memory."

I was glad, really glad, Player's Mind was running, or I was sure my eyebrows would've merged with my fringe at what I'd just been told.

"They saw something about me?" I asked slowly, still not liking that the Force was seemingly trying to manipulate my direction while being curious as to what the vision was about. 'Hopefully nothing about the Chosen One crap.'

"That they did." Vilbum replied, making my brow rise rapidly even with Player's Mind active. "Though strangely none of the 4 visions matched closely with another." He paused and looked at Nilas. "However, that is not something to concern yourself with. The Seer Council, in conjunction with this Council, have discussed these visions and how they will affect your future training as a Jedi.

"You will be continuing your training with us, should you so choose." Vilbum continued with a smile that just looked wrong to me with the way his face wrinkled as he spoke. "But it is because of these visions that we made you our first summons after the Initiate Trials concluded."

"OK." I said slowly, not sure where this was going but certain that if I was assigned to a Master who wouldn't let me leave the Temple, I would quit the order. 6 months of this place was really starting to drive me up the wall, and with the Trials of an Initiate quest now finished, I had little to focus on within these walls. Everything else, save for what may be on the Holocrons in the Vault, whether it was quest related or otherwise, I felt was outside the walls of the Temple. 'I really need to come up with plans to hamper Sidious' rise to power and build a power base of my own.' Though how to do that, was something I still had to consider.

"Masters and Knights have come forward to seek your permission to take you as their Padawan, but it is here that an issue arises." Master Gallia said slowly with a smile, though I saw Master Piell frowning as she spoke. "Many have spoken to us of a desire to train you, though we suspect many are just curious about your unexpected abilities with rare Force powers."

I nodded at her words even as I considered them. I had expected that some Jedi would be interested in training me because of what I did in the obstacle course, but I hadn't expected many to offer to train me.

"This Council has considered those requests and lowered it to four, from which you are permitted to make a final choice." Vilbum spoke, casting a glance at Nilas. "Two of these Jedi you have met directly, while another you may have seen around the Temple. The last, however…"

"Would be me."

I turned at the voice and ended up staring at a damm elf!

'Thank God for Player's Mind or I'd be gawking at her like a lost puppy, if not drooling.'

The Jedi in question was tall, lithe and just breath-taking to look at. Her long, silken blond hair cascaded around her angular face while her grey eyes seemed to dance as she smiled down at me.

"This is Jedi Master Fay." Vilbum spoke with a touch of reverence. "She is something of a legend, or myth, within our Order. Indeed, this is the first time in my life that she has stepped foot within the Temple."

Fay laughed in an almost musical way and I had to look away to avoid looking too much like a fool. "Master Vilbum is too kind. I simply follow the will of the Force, one that guides me across the galaxy and for once, has guided me back here." While she spoke, her eyes stayed with me, or I assumed they did as when I looked back at her she was still watching me. "The Force spoke to me of a child torn through time and space, one born of warriors and Jedi, and yet not. One with the potential for true balance within the Force. It guided me back here where I found out about the child of Revan."

"I dislike that label." I said with a small frown. "And being seen in visions and prophecy." I added, making it clear – I hoped – that I knew about the Chosen One prophecy and didn't want any part of it.

Fay laughed once more. "Yes, most do. Yet you cannot deny that the Force has chosen to bring you to us, here and now. A time and a place far from your own. You cannot deny the actions of the Force."

"I deny nothing. But I am not a pawn in a game to be played by someone, or something, else." I growled.

"You believe yourself above the Force? That you are better than it and us?" Master Piell asked, his one eye narrowed heavily as he glared at me. "Then perhaps we should deny you further training."

"And allow someone so powerful to just freely wander the galaxy? That doesn't sound very wise." I countered, throwing his earlier words about me back in his face.

"Master Piell meant no disrespect young one. He simply stated, in his own way, that we all are guided by the Force. Jedi or not, it flows through and around us in ways even Grandmaster Yoda does not fully understand." Fay said with a soft smile as she stepped towards me. "I do not know if the Force's guidance has sent me here to become your teacher, or merely if it wishes for me to help you grow, but I accept this calling."

I bowed a touch. "I would be grateful for either ma'am." I turned back to Vilbum. "You said there were 3 others sir?"

"Yes. Masters Sifo-Dyas and Dooku have both expressed interest in taking you as their learner, as has Knight Lhan has also expressed interest."

"Knight Lhan is the Cathar Jedi who has been helping Battlemaster Drallig with Initiate training. He is new to his rank and wishes to take a Padawan before taking up his role as Watchman of the Mandalore sector." Di added. "He is young for a knight but brave and loyal."

"And these 4 are the ones you feel would be the best choices for me to accept as my teacher?" I asked cautiously, avoiding calling any of them my master. That had always bugged me about the Jedi.

"Yes. However, we feel that even if you decide now on your Master, you should remain as an Initiate until New Year Week in 4 months' time." Vilbum replied. "This is not because we feel you are unready, but because all 4 visions shared 1 single, common trait. That if you left the Temple permanently in the next few months you would die."

"Then might I take these 4 months to get to know each Jedi better before making a final choice in the New Year?" I asked even as I processed that leaving early would result in my death, probably by agents of Sidious. 'Or more likely the bastard would abduct me to raise as a quote/unquote, Proper Sith.'

Vilbum smiled once more. "That would be a wise decision young one. Very wise. However, I must caution you to not mention our discussions about visions with your clanmates. We do not wish undue worry to affect them and distract them from their studies."

"Understood."

I suspected that mentioning visions and prophecy to Initiates was not a normal occurrence, and I could get their reasoning. I just hoped that this didn't cause me problems with the others or risk people starting to really think I was the Chosen One. '4 more months of this place? Dammit! Dammit! Dammit! Still, I will have more time with Dooku and Sifo-Dyas so even if I don't pick either of them as my Master, I can get closer to them and hopefully change both their fates.'

"I look forward to learning about you over the coming months young one." Fay said with a smile that would've made me talk gibberish if I was in my teens and didn't have Player's Mind. "I suspect there is much we may learn from each other."

"As do I ma'am." I said slowly, keeping my eyes locked on her face.

"Feel free to ask for a further meeting if you wish to discuss your possible master young one, and if there is nothing you wish to ask, you are free to leave." Vilbum said with another of those wrong-looking smiles.

"Yes, sir." I said with a small bow.

Pivoting I walked slowly out of the chamber and into an elevator once one arrived; thankful it was empty, so I could start to examine the choices I had in front of me.

Dooku and Sifo-Dyas were both covered by quests, though if I failed then there was a chance that I could die with Sifo-Dyas if he was my Master or be killed by Dooku when he turns if I chose him. Though that was conditional on me failing the quests to save each of them. In addition, Sifo-Dyas was on the Council and Dooku was working in the Temple as a combat instructor, so there was a high chance I'd be stuck in the Temple for a few more years at least, which I was firmly against.

Lhan was a virtual unknown as I had seen a Cathar male Jedi helping with lightsaber training, but he'd never trained me or Dragon Clan. Though he was clearly going to head out into the galaxy soon and would be heading to Mandalore, which meant Death Watch and Mandalorians, and created possibilities for building up friendships and weakening Sidious' power base before the Clone Wars.

Fay, however, beyond being beautiful, was a true unknown. I hadn't met her in the Temple, nor had the name come up in the movies or cartoons. From what little she had said she seemed to glide around, letting the Force guide her where it wanted. That sounded both useful and problematic. Useful as it would let me likely see more than just a sector of planets or Coruscant, it would leave me at the will of the Force; something that irritated me as it seemed to suggest a semi-sentience to the Force. Problematic however, as it might make it harder for me to work on my current quests, or any plans I had to build my own power base and begin to disrupt Palpatine's plans.

"Is the Force actually sentient?" I asked the empty elevator, hoping that the PtB would give me a response.

Sadly, they didn't, and I sighed in annoyance. "Was worth a shot."

The doors opened, and I walked quietly back to my quarters. I needed more time to think through carefully just what the pros and cons of each of my options for a Master were. And the privacy of my room would allow me to go through the quest completion and level-up notices.

'Is the Force really trying to stop me? Is it working against me because I was sent here by a higher power?' I wondered as I walked.

Yes, and no.Truthfully, we are unsure if we should tell you this, but we felt you needed to understand, if only a little.The Force is sentient, but not in a way you understand currently.It is a force of nature, yet it feels the galaxy, the universe through the creatures within it.And Like all forces of nature it seeks the balance.Sadly, simple beings such as yourself struggle for true balance.Emotions, which the Force lacks, interfere with balance.Yet to surrender to emotions, or cut them off, is not balance.It is an extreme.The Force accepts we have sent you into its domain yet is still trying to settle you into its need for balance.…That is all we are prepared to tell you.Use it how you wish.

I stopped walking to read the message from the PtB and tried to process it.

The Force was living but not and sought balance. Yet both the Jedi and Sith were wrong about what that balance was. 'So, balance involves accepting your emotions, yet not letting them rule you. Like the older code I came across; emotion, yet peace. Or at least, that's how I see it. And damm! The Force is the one bringing the Sith to power to achieve balance as the Jedi are an extreme that it cannot accept.'

I chuckled a little at that even as I tried to get my head around the idea that the reason the Sith kept rising was because the Jedi became too strong.

'Looks like I have to find a new path. Well, I've got 4 months or so to survive in this place, so that gives me time to create plans. For now, I should just get back to my room and sort through where I am.'

The rest of the walk to my quarters passed in silence as the corridors were empty, and I reached my room quickly and quietly.

Quest Completed!Trials of an InitiateObjectives:Advance to the free-for-all stage for your age group. [Yes]Win at least 3 of your push-feather duels [Yes]Complete the obstacle course with a time in the upper half for your age group [Yes][?] Place in the top 3 of the lightsaber free-for-all for your age group [No][?] Advance to the quarter-finals of the push-feather duels [Yes][?] Win at least 3 lightsaber duels against Initiates in the older age group [2/3][?] Win the push-feather tournament [No][?] Have an obstacle course time in the upper half of all Initiates [Yes]Rewards:1500XP1000XP1000XP500XP500XP...

LEVEL UP!Level: 8 - 9FP: +500PP: +2STAM: +12SP: +5SKP: +32…

"Nice. Extra FP means more time using powers between meditation recharges and while not a lot, 2 Player Points means I can have Player's Mind on for a little longer. List Stats."

Cameron ShanSpecies: HumanTitle: The PlayerLevel 9HP: 130/130FP: 4500/4500PP: 18/18XP [3530/9000]STAM [108/108]Hunger [0/100]STR: 8 +VIT: 8 +AGI: 8 +INT: 16 +WIS: 12 +CH: 10 +Luck: 0 + [+10]SP: 6SKP: 32PerkP: 0PPP: 0Credits: 1116…

"Sweet, I'm already a 3rd of the way to the next level." I spent a little bit of time examining my new status, and placed one SP in STR, AGI and VIT, bringing all 3 up to 9, and removing the small penalty that existed for the stats being under my level. "List Quests."

QUESTSThese are the story chains that will help push and shape your new life.Quests come in various forms, from repeatable simple ones to long, multi-part campaigns.Most of your activities will be set up as quests, however, you are free to decline most quests.You can also create your own quests if you are willing to push yourself beyond what would be considered easy/safe.All quests are rated from F to S*** for difficulty, with anything rated B or greater running the risk of bodily harm, if not death.Current quests are:Tremors Of The Ancient Sith EmpireForge Your Own PathCleanse The TempleChanging Fate [Dooku]You Can't Hurt Me [User Defined]Stones of MuntuurWipe That Grin Off Her Face [User Defined]Changing Fate [Anakin]Just Don't Get Caught [User Defined]Changing Fate [Qui-Gon]Changing Fate [Sifo-Dyas]…

For more details, on a quest, tap it or say 'List Quest' followed by the quest required.…

I whistled as I realised just how many quests I had. Yet as I thought through things, almost all of them were long-term, on-going quests. The exception being Cleaning The Temple, but since I had examined everywhere I could inside the Temple, I assumed that required me to go below the Temple and examine the mountain it stood upon. And for that, I needed to be a Padawan to leave… No, I didn't.

Windu had stated that no Initiate could leave the Temple without permission from one of the Jedi Councils and an escort, so maybe I could persuade the Council of First Knowledge to allow me to explore the depths of the Temple with one or more of my prospective Jedi Masters.

'I'll have to wait a week or so before seeing if any of the Jedi are willing to escort me outside. Or I could claim to have had a vision about something dark under the Temple. I had one before about the attack on my grandfather's home, so it should be possible to fake something. But, if I do that, there's a chance the Seer Council may try to have me trained in learning to have visions. Which could see me trapped in the Temple long-term. So faking a vision is a backup plan to get to the Temple underground.'

I shifted my attention to the Stones of Muntuur quest and browsed the details. For that, I had to lift all 7 stones, which the quest was nice enough to inform me was 50 tonnes. With my current level in TK, I could lift just shy of 3 tonnes, but each stratum of the power increased the overall weight limit. Novice had been 2Kg/level, Adept 5Kg and Professional, where I currently was, was 12.5Kg. If that rate of increase continued – and if it didn't it just wasn't possible to lift the stones – then I guessed I'd need to be somewhere in the Prodigy strata to pull it off.

The bonus was probably time-related – either before the Clone wars or the blockade of Naboo – so I planned to spend as much free time training that up as I could. Even if I did nothing more than levitating a datapad under a table while reading or meditating I would quickly gain levels in the power.

The You Can't Hurt Me and Just Don't Get Caught quests were just a case of focusing on a few set skills/abilities when I could, so they moved to the front of my short-term planning for what to focus on over the coming few months.

Beating Serra was going to take effort and I suspected I'd need to learn more than just Makashi to pull it off, so I pulled Haqu's lightsaber from my inventory – which now had 18 slots – and got into the opening stance for Soresu, only for a notice to appear in my log.

Skill Usage Warning!Level not higher enough for self-learning.[Form III: Soresu]To self-study, you require Adept 50 in Forms I and II and Novice 10 in Soresu.…

"Heh, didn't see that coming." I muttered as I waved away the notice. "List Skills." I quickly browsed until I reached lightsaber forms and noted I had about 40 levels in Makashi and 7 levels in Soresu to meet the requirements. "I wonder if similar rules exist for the other forms."

I slipped into the basic starting stance for Ataru and got another warning.

"Bugger." I muttered as I read and waved away that notice. "Fine, then I need to get some tutoring in Soresu to get to N-10 while working hard on Makashi until it reaches A-50." I moved to adopt a Makashi stance when a thought came to me and stopped.

1 skill I hadn't seen at the Temple so far, and only hinted at in the few records I had perused on lightsaber combat, was the ability to control an active lightsaber via the Force. I remembered Kreia doing it with 3 blades in KOTOR2.

"Now this could be fun," I said as a smile threatened to break my face and I placed the lightsaber on the floor.

With a simple gesture, I lifted the unpowered weapon and floated it to the far side of the room. Then I tried to ignite it.

I sighed as nothing happened and I a notice appeared in my log. Calling the lightsaber back to my hand, I opened the notice.

Force Power Warning!You attempted to use an advanced Force Power[Lightsaber TK]This power cannot be learnt until the following requirements are met:TK: Master 1Lightsaber [style]: Master 1Makashi: Master 1Soresu: Master 1Shien: Master 1Djem-So: Master 1…

"Son of a… That's just not fair." I muttered as I waved away the notice. That was one of the coolest powers/abilities/tricks from KOTOR2 and here I was being told I couldn't learn it until I had mastered 4 different lightsaber Forms. Technically it was 3 as Shien and Djem-So were meant to be variants of Form V, but given that the notice listed them separately, I had to assume they were treated as independent skills.

"Guess that trick is a long way away." I muttered as I frowned though it turned into a small smile as I realised there was another power I hadn't attempted yet, but that I knew I wanted to learn.

I pointed my hand at my bed and concentrated.

A thin, weak bolt of lightning shot from my hand and struck my bed, igniting my pillow.

"Fuck!" I yelled as I raced over and started frantically waving the pillow while using cyrokinesis to cool it until it was no longer burnt.

I stared at the charred black object and sighed. "Pity there's isn't a Force power that can restore this." I murmured as I threw the pillow back onto the bed. I turned only to stop, and frown. "Maybe there is."

I walked over and picked up the pillow before concentrating on it and trying to channel the Force into it. My eyes bugged out as the blackened pillow slowly returned its original white. "Well fuck me." I muttered as I dropped the now fresh-looking pillow on the bed and read the new notices.

Force Power Discovered!LightningThis is the ability to generate a bolt of energy that behaves like lightning.Range and damage are dependent on level.…

Force Power Discovered!RestoreBy channelling the Force into an object, you can restore damage done to it.The rate of restoration depends on current level.…

"Sweet." I said with a huge grin. "Now I can level lightning up without worrying about destroying my room."

I opened the window to clear the smell from the burnt pillow and exited the room. There was just under 2 hours until dinner, so I lifted the pillow with TK until my FP ran out then adopted the opening stance of Makashi.

…

And that's the end of the 1st major arc. Finally.

While the poll about Cameron's Trainer will stay open for a while longer, it is looking very clear as to the majority's preference.

The following chapter is just a list of current skills/powers/perks and their levels as several people have asked to see where Cameron is currently.