16 The Caves of Ilum II

I look around in slight shock at how they all just disappeared like that. I was with a whole group of my fellow padawans, but now I'm alone. I look back down the way I came, and now the path is completely gone. "Nathan..." I hear the whisper of a woman. It sounds just like the one from my dreams, in that room by that bed. I don't know why I feel this way, but I know this voice better than anyone else's.

I look at the only path in front of me and begin to walk down it. As I'm walking, I smell food mom used to make me. I turn the corner I come upon, and the entire scene changes. I'm no longer in the crystal caves of Ilum. I'm back in my old home on Tatooine. I look at the cooking station and see the food mom made every time it was a day off. "All done with work, Nathan?" I turn to the voice and see a slightly older version of my mother.

I haven't seen them in 4 years, and I miss them. "Yeah..." I don't know how to respond, and that's the only thing that comes out of my mouth.

Mom looks at me with slight worry. "You okay? You look like you've seen a ghost." I feel like I have. I know they are still alive, but it's going to be a long time before I meet them again.

She walks up to me and hugs me. "Don't worry. Nothing bad is going to happen despite your dreams. I'll never let you go." I hug her back for as long as I can.

I take a deep breath and lean my chin on the top of her head. "You aren't here, though. You're just an illusion." I watch the scene melt away, and so does my mom in my grasp. I look down at her as she disappears, and she had the same face she had when I was given to the Jedi.

I take a knee and organize my thoughts and emotions. I take some breaths and level out. I know it's not real, and it's just what Satele warned me about. It doesn't make it any easier seeing that, though. I stand up, and a new path opens up. "Amor..." I hear another voice, but it says a name I'm not familiar with. I head down the path the voice came from, and I see another corner up ahead. I turn it, and I'm on an unfamiliar world.

I look around and see a big clear lake and lush life everywhere. "My sweet baby boy..." I turn at the sound of the voice, and I see a woman with long white hair. She has very youthful features, and she is powerful in the force. "You have gotten so strong since they took you away from me..." She begins to walk towards me with a smile.

I don't know why I know her. I just do. "I don't know who you are..." She looks at me with sadness. She dries the tears on the edge of falling.

She walks up to me, and she is a few inches taller than me. "You wouldn't remember... The day you were born, you were taken from me..." Lillis is my mother, though. She has always been my mother.

The white-haired woman reaches out and runs her fingers across my face. "This is just an illusion too..." When those words leave my mouth, she lets her tears drop, and she fades away.

A new path opens up, and I can't help thinking this will go on forever. "My little snuggle muffin..." I hear the same voice I heard when I entered these strange hallways. That nickname is familiar.

I begin walking down the hall, and the farther I walk down, the brighter a light gets at the end. I eventually reach it and walk through it. When I pass the veil, I'm in the same room as my dreams. I look at the bed and see the dark-haired woman. "It's so great to see you, Nathan..." I don't know why, but my heart begins to break as I hear those words.

I walk over and look at the strange, unfamiliar machines attached to her. I sit in the chair next to her and grab her hand. "Hey, mom..." I call her mom because it feels right. She smiles at me and brings my hand up to her other enclosed one.

She places something in my hand, but I see her, and she looks so happy. Some tears begin to fall from my eyes because I feel like I've been here before. "I love you snuggle muffin, and I'm always watching." The scene fades away, and I fall on my ass.

I choke back the little sobs and regain control. I still feel the thing in my hand that she gave me. I open it up, and it's a yellow kyber crystal. "Thanks, mom..." It glows as I pour my power and emotions into it. I pour my love for my parents, and I feel a connection with the crystal now. I hear some rocks shifting behind me, and I see a new path open up.

I head down it, and I hear some people talking. I eventually make it to the sound and see my master waiting with some others. She looks at me and wears a smile. "You took longer than I expected. 5 hours is more than usual." I was in there for 5 hours? She sees the look on my face and walks up to me. "I told you people experience different things. Time is even affected." It only felt like 20, maybe 30 minutes.

I hold up my kyber crystal, and she looks at it with suspicion. "How did you find a Varpeline Crystal on Ilum? Those are only found on Mearalis II, and it's very rare..." I just thought it was a crystal that appears here on Ilum. "Well... What are you waiting for? Put it your lightsaber hilt." I listen to her, and I take my hilt off my belt with the force.

I disassemble it with the force, and I float my kyber crystal right before the focusing lens and then reassemble the lightsaber. I hold the hilt in my hand, and it feels heavier for some reason, just a little. I press the power button, and a yellow beam shoots out. It's hot and comforting to hold. "That's a Varpeline Crystal, alright. This kyber crystal makes a unique sharp sound when it contacts things, and it cuts through things much faster and easier. It's a hard and extremely dense kyber crystal, so it makes your hilt feel heavier." So that explains the weight. I wave it around slightly, and it makes a nice hum.

I deactivate it and reattach it to my belt. I look at the few remaining Masters and notice the worried looks on their faces. Satele puts her hand on my shoulder and leads me out of the warm cave into the cold climate of Ilum. "Just so you know, Nate. Some padawans don't make it out of the caves of Ilum. So let's leave and let the remaining Masters wait. If it takes more than 8 hours the Masters leave, padawans don't return after that time." I nod my head understanding what she means.

That place really messed with my mind, and I don't want to step foot in that place again. I hop into the enclosed landspeeder with Satele, and she turns the heat on fast. I put my fingers by the nice heaters trying to get feeling back in them from the quick exposure I had to Ilums cold winds. She fires up the engines and turns it around. She pushes the throttle up, and we hit top speed. "I'm not going to ask what you saw in there, Nate. Just never forget what you did see. Most things revealed in the Ilum caves help in the jedis future." I learned something weird.

That white-haired woman called me Amor. I don't know why though, this is making me question if Lillis is my actual birth mother. I close my eyes and meditate on what I saw. I lull into a trance, and time passes fast. I feel Satele send a small wave in the force to my mind, and I open my eyes. We are back at the landspeeder port, and I see that some ships are already gone. "Let's get a move on. The Republic fleet is where we'll start your training." I nod my head with enthusiasm, and we make our way back to our ship.

We enter the ship and enter the commands. Satele takes control and takes us off-world. I help input commands and coordinates, and she enters the final ones. We enter hyperspace, and the next stop is the republic fleet. "Master... What do you think our first mission will be?" I want to know some of the points of interest in our galaxy war-wise. The teachers and youngling library didn't talk about the war.

She smiles and stands up. She indicates for me to follow, and I do. "It's time for your Jedi robes. Watch these lessons until we reach the fleet 10 hours from now. If you get tired, go ahead and sleep. We've been up for a while now. Let me get you your robes, and you can put them on." She inputs commands on the pad to the holo-terminal. She then walks off and comes back with a box. I open it and see the masterfully crafted robes perfect for my size. I quickly head into the levorotary and change. I walk back and see a list of things to learn. You might as well start from the top. I start reading and watching lessons until I fall asleep an hour later. As Nathan sleeps, Satele is thinking about what has happened so far with her apprentice.

[Picture of the robes he was given.]

He is going to grow fast. He likes to use force abilities as he fights from the trainer's reports. Niman fits him perfectly, and he made the right choice in planning to incorporate Ataru and Shien. With his abilities in force augmentation, these styles will mix great with him. He'll be a fearsome saber fighter and fantastic force user. I need to be warry around powerful sith like Malgus. They will sense his power and potential and try to recruit him. I'm positive he was the reason Alderaan was attacked 4 years ago. The emperor's reach is unknown. He has eyes and ears everywhere, though. He might even have plans for him. I won't let anything bad happen, no matter what.

I get up and check on Nate. I see him sleeping in the booth, and the lesson is still playing. I walk over to him and pick him up. I carry him in my arms and take him to one of the spare bedrooms on my ship. I lay him down, and he sleeps soundly. If the emperor even gets his hands on Nate, it's the end of the Galaxy. Even a dark council member will use his power to enslave the galaxy. I sit on the bed and look out the window on the other side. I wish I could have done this is Theron...