A lesson in Control (Flashback Chapter)
~~~(POV: Nathan Opal)~~~
~~~(Location: Personal Ship, Hyperspace heading towards Ilum)~~~
I open my eyes and lean up from my bed. I haven't had terrible nightmares for a while now... The Force hasn't provided premonitions of the future... "Figures once I decide to head to Ilum that things start to get weird... Out of the ordinary..." My hands find their way through my hair, and my stress slowly lowers with the action...
The Republic and the Empire are fighting over Ilum as of this moment. I'm not interested in getting in the middle of this conflict. The planet isn't strategically important for me, and the world doesn't serve many purposes other than an abundant supply of Kyber Crystals. "You know what you're walking into..." A voice that I've heard early echos through my ship.
I stand up and head towards the direction the voice came in. I try to use The Force to sense where this person is, but I can't find anything... "Why don't you show yourself to me!? I'd love to know who's reaching out to me!?" This woman... She's strong in The Force... I feel a connection with the voice... Like I know who it is...
As I continue searching the ship, nothing springs up. Whoever this woman is, she's keeping her distance and biding her time. She's planning something, and whatever it is, I don't think it's good for me... "All you know about yourself is a lie, and the truth will be revealed to you..." Her voice reaches me again, but this time it's coming from behind me.
Coming from where I came... A part of me is mad. I feel like I'm getting toyed with... In a sense, it's a taste of my own medicine... I've always been stronger than everyone I've met regarding my connection to The Force... "Who are you!?" My anger spills into my shout, and the ship groans slightly at my outburst in The Force...
~~~(Flashback)~~~
~~~(POV: Nathan Opal)~~~
~~~(Location: Tython, Training Grounds)~~~
~~~(Current age: 9 years old)
Master Caleb stands is walking back and forth in front of our class. We're outside at the Force Training Grounds. It's where we train our abilities in The Force. The basic ones like Force Push and Force Pull are learned here. "Today we're going to have a competition. This is to exercise control over your abilities." Most younglings go through this, and many look forward to it.
To everyone's surprise, Grandmaster Satele is watching over our class. She's in the viewing box with other Masters. She spends whatever time she can watching over classes. "Alright, the basic rules are to knock you fellow youngling off the platform. Preferably using Force Push or Force Pull." I can sense that my fellow classmates are excited to prove themselves.
In a way, I'm looking forward to it too... I'm still learning to control my strength... Master Caleb turns towards the hologram, and an image of a bracket pops up. "We'll have a tournament to see who has the most control in this class." Usually, this is frowned upon by Jedi. How Master Caleb gets away with this makes me question their policy about special treatment.
We all get up and take some time to see the matchups. Looking for my name, I find it, and it's up against my friend Leera. She's got fantastic control and will likely wip my butt. "Okay, let's get this tournament started. Jelso and Herra, you're up first." We all take our seats as the tournament starts. It takes a while, but my matchup eventually comes.
I step out onto the platform, and I look at Leera across from me. She's the first friend I made in this class. "Remember, control is everything. Without control, The Force can't help you." Master Caleb stands in the middle and motions for us to start. Leera pushes her hand forward, and I cross my arms to block The Force Push.
I'm pushed back, and I almost fall out, but I rebalance and see she's preparing for another attack. In a moment of instinct, I throw my hands forward, and a burst of power comes from me. A blast of energy heads towards Leera, but she's Force Pulled out of the way by Master Caleb. "Youngling Opal! What do you think you're doing!?" The voice of a Master that doesn't like me is heard.