6 Chapter 6: Initiate Training 1

Back again.To be brief, the next half-year or so in-story will be skimmed through as I have decided to not spend Cameron's childhood at the Temple, nor waste the time/space writing about the dailiy life of a child at the Temple. I suspect it would be just the same thing day in, day out, and be very boring to write/read.Though what the final outcome of this time at the Temple will be, I'm still not certain, though I am leaning towards him becoming a Padawan of a Jedi who doesn't spend much time at the Temple.

"Cameron, may I speak with you."

I lifted my head from the book on the Trade Federation – I figured the more I knew about them the better I could prepare for the Phantom Menace – and looked up to see Jedi Master Micah Giiett standing over me; a very subtle smirk on his face.

He had been the younger of the 2 Jedi masters who had met me when I landed 2 months ago, and the member of the Council who had spent the time helping me settle in after they had allowed me to stay and train beside the Initiates my own age; Initiates being the stage before becoming a Padawan, which granted me the Title of Jedi Youngling from my new powers. Though that only let me have the lowest possible level of access to the temple and the archives.

Those 2 months had been strange. I mean, I'd been allowed to stay in the Temple, training the Force, learning to use a lightsaber and studying with a few clans, but I hadn't been placed into one of those said clans, which I had come to realise was unusual for a Youngling; though all the current clans had been together for years so adding me to one of them might run the risk of upsetting the clan dynamic.

"Yes sir." I replied, turning his smirk into a small smile.

"One day you will have to start calling senior Jedi Master Cameron," he said though unlike a few other Jedi Masters, he seemed unconcerned with my apparent lack of interest in following their traditions. "I just wanted to come down and check on how you are doing."

"Fine. I mean, I've been here two months now, but I still haven't heard anything from the Council as to if I placed in a clan or not." It was irksome, but I knew that if Qui-Gon hadn't died and Obi Wan hadn't been made a knight then Anakin wouldn't have been allowed in; though maybe the Council were right in that case given to what happened. "I'd just like to know what is going to happen, so I can start to move on with my life."

And get back my ship. OK, technically, it wasn't my ship, but given that I killed a few of the former owners, I was claiming it. Though the Jedi were not letting me anywhere near it as they seemed curious to learn if it held secrets about the dark side; or at least that's the line they'd tried to feed me. Not that I was entirely buying it; more I just knew I didn't have any way to really push for access to it

"Yes, I imagine being essentially a prisoner would make you angsty." Micah commented as he walked me out of the archives. "Still, no Initiate is allowed to leave the Temple without an escort from a Jedi Master." He added.

I frowned and looked up at him as we walked down one of the multitude of corridors in the labyrinth that was the Jedi Temple. "And is that where we are going now?" I didn't think it was, but it didn't hurt to ask.

"No, no." He answered with a chuckle. "Though nice try. No, I needed to talk with you about the upcoming Initiate Trials. While you are still young, and only had a few months of training, the Council wishes for you to enter.

"There is no shame in failing them, indeed most do not sand out until they are at least 10 cycles, but we are curious about how you will fair."

"You mean you want to test me without saying so," I countered, having seen through his words easily.

He chuckled again. "That too. But the primary interest is in judging your level."

"That's easy. Well behind the others my age." I replied, not upset or annoyed about it. They'd been at this for 5 or 6 years for the other 8-year-olds, so they should be miles ahead of me. "I'm not angry about that. Just stating a fact."

"Indeed. I must admit I find it strange that you are so calm about everyone else being better than you." He said, and I noted he was watching my expression carefully, probably trying to detect my emotions through the Force. "Most children would be, at the very least, annoyed about that."

"I'm not most children." I countered with a smirk that made him chuckle. "I mean, I get that they've been at this for years more than me, but that doesn't mean I can't catch and overtake them."

Micah shook his head. "Be careful with that drive. Seeking power to be better than others can lead to the Dark Side."

"There is not dark or light, only the Force." I replied, making him stop and look at me strangely. Seeing he was waiting for an explanation, I decided to give him one that I'd come up with a few days before; well, that and my own personal opinions from watching the movies/cartoons and playing a few computer games. "I know I've only been here a few months but the Force itself is neither good nor bad; it merely is. The user, the person who can access the Force, they decide how it is used.

"Jedi seem to cut themselves off from their emotions, fearing that things like anger, fear and jealousy will draw them to the dark side. Yet the Sith fear emotions like love, humility and kindness as they draw them to the light; supposedly weakening them. Yet it was love that brought my great-grandmother back from the Dark Side. Her love for Revan. And Loving another and having a child did not drive my great-great-whatever, Satele Shan to the Dark Side, nor turn her against the Jedi Order."

"I see someone has been reading up on their family history." He said with a small smile before glancing around and leaning in closer. "While I can understand why you see things that way, many other Jedi, including some Council members, would disagree and try to force you from this place for stating an apparent willingness to embrace your emotions."

"That's not…" He cut me off with a raise of his hand.

"It might not be what you are saying, but it is how others would interpret it. They would see you as being arrogant, prideful, in your belief that your see yourself as better than others and would seek your expulsion from our Order."

'Well, I'm not actually a part of the Jedi Order now am I?' "I understand." I said slowly, though I had no intention of not continuing my thinking; I would just be more discreet about it.

"Good." He placed a hand on my shoulder. "There is nothing wrong with feeling someone for others, but placing your emotions above the Order, the Republic, and even the Force is a slippery slope that has led to the fall of far, far too many Jedi over the millennia." I nodded, and he removed his hand and his smile returned. "Now, about the Trials?"

Quest Alert!Trials of an InitiateTake part in the Jedi Initiate Trials and put on a good performance.[4 months till Trials]Rating: CObjectives:Advance to the free-for-all lightsaber stage for your age group.Win at least 3 of your push-feather duels.Complete the obstacle course with a time in the upper half for your age group.Bonus: ?Bonus: ?Bonus: ?Bonus: ?Bonus: ?Rewards:1500XP1000XP1000XPThe chance to be taken as a Padawan.Penalties:Spend another year stuck as an InitiatePossible expulsion from the Jedi Order.Accept?Yes/No…

"Yes. I mean I accept. Though could you tell me about what is involved." I asked, wondering what exactly a push-feather duel was and hoping that his explanation would hint at the five bonuses were. Based on the three completed quests, they would either be secondary goals or more advanced forms of the base objectives.

"Certainly. The initial Trials are to prove an understanding of the Jedi Code, though you will be partially exempt from that given to your lack of time studying it. Though you will still have to be able to recite it and provide reasons why the code is structured as it is.

"The next is to show a connection to the Force by meditating in perfect silence and stillness for a minimum of three hours.

"The third is an event called push-feather. This is a duel style event where you most unbalance an opponent by the using the Force to alter the air currents in the duelling ring."

"So only powers that create air alterations? Could we not alter the air temperature or pressure?"

Micah rubbed his chin as he pondered that. "Hmm, I am not sure. Since most initiates do not think to use anything but telekinesis, I am not certain if altering air pressure or temperature is permissible. I will check with Grand Master Yoda and get back to you." He narrowed his eyes as he spoke. "Have you managed to do such a thing in your studies?"

I looked around, then reached out with Detection. Satisfied that we were alone enough for me to reveal what I was going to, I extended my arm and slowly increased the temperature of the air around him for a few seconds until I felt him push the hot air away.

"Well, well. Most impressive." His eyes seemed to sparkle as he spoke. "I will definitely check about the exact wordings of the rules." He paused and seemed to get his amusement under control as the sparkle disappeared.

"Now, and this is a big if. If you do well enough at push-feather, you will be permitted to take part in mock lightsaber duels with the other Initiates. Rules of those will be the same as regular sparing duels save for the few final rounds were the top eight complete in a free-for-all to determine a last being standing."

I listened carefully and frowned as I considered his words. "That sounds like more than just a trial. More like a test."

"My, you are a clever one." He said with a chuckle. "But yes, the lightsaber duels are designed to showcase your abilities to the Knights and Masters who will be watching to see if any Initiate stands out as a potential Padawan."

"So only lightsaber strength determines being selected as a Padawan?" I doubted that but had to ask to be sure.

"Of course not, but by showing you're are at least competent with a lightsaber, you prove you are ready to leave the Temple. Under supervision of your master of course."

I grunted a little. "An dkilling a Sith doesn't count?"

"Oh it does. It does. Otherwise, we would not be asking you to compete." He stepped back and clapped his hands together softly. "Now, if you will excuse me, I need to meet Master Plo."

"Of course. Thank you, sir." I replied and watched him go, only to randomly stumble.

I looked at where the Jedi Master was and saw his hand was facing me, palm open and realised that he'd just hit me with a blast of TK.

"Be mindful of your surroundings young one." He called out just before he rounded a corner.

"Bastard," I muttered as he left, only to let the anger slip as I considered his words and the new quest.

"Right, time to change my training." I said as I began to walk towards my room.

For the last two months I had spent most of my free study time learning various skills about mechanics and such while getting to know a few of the other Initiates while training up my Force Powers in classes or at night in as equal a manner as I could.

Now however, I planned to just concentrate on 4 powers; TK, Cryokinesis, Pyrokinesis and Blast; the last being a power I'd gotten form the Sith Holocron but which I'd learnt was not a truly dark power, more a neutral one.

Though it was not one openly taught by the Jedi here and now, it was something I remembered Tardon mentioning on his Holocron before I'd handed that over to the Jedi Council with his lightsaber. I still however, had the one from his Padawan, Haqu, just in case I was forced to leave the Temple before being shown how to construct my own.

I also needed to see about the obstacle course, as currently I was far behind most of the Initiates, due mainly to my lack of Force Powers to help and fractionally lower physical stats. I wondered how I could raise them, but beyond doing what I felt were appropirate exercises/activies for each, I had no ieda as the Help menu was less than forthcoming.

"Hmm, perhaps there's a power that's not taught much that could give me an advantage." I pondered, changing my destination from my quarters to the Archives.

...

I have a select few Force powers picked out for Cameron to learn, but I am open to ideas of what else he could learn to give him an edge at the Trials.