11 Tython

I look out the windows at the site of being in hyperspace. This is the first time I've seen the blue lights of hyperspace. "Why does hyperspace look like this, dad?" I ask my dad a question, and all I hear is an amused chuckle. I turn my head and see both my parents looking at me. Mom gets up from her seat and walks up beside me. She kneels and wraps one arm around me. She kisses the top of my head and ruffles my hair. I still haven't gotten an answer yet.

She looks back over to dad, and he has a smile plastered on his face. "My brave little man. Do you mind giving your father and me a moment to talk to each other?" My mom directs a question at me. They want to talk about things that involve me and what they will do. Jace said we are heading for a planet called Tython, and we are meeting a council. I also don't know why I can feel that Conobai isn't alive anymore.

I nod my head yes and start walking to the doors. I want to check out the cool things on this ship, and I also want to try out other things with my power. I find a little booth not far from the cockpit and take a seat. I see the holo-projector on the table across the room. I look at it and focus on lifting it. It lifts easily, and I float it over to the booth. I place it on the table in front of me, and I start inputting commands on the little keypad.

I don't really know what I'm doing, just messing with it. All of a sudden, it turns on, and I see a woman. "Anything to report Conobai?" She doesn't hear anything from me and looks up from the datapad in her hand and sees me. She puts the datapad away and gives me a gentle smile. "Hello, young one. Can you get Jedi Knight Conobai for me? If he isn't available, get his padawan, Jace, for me." She must not know Conobai is gone now.

I shake my head and lower it to look at my fingers. "Conobai is gone... Jace is still here, though..." I look up to see her reaction, and I see her contemplating something. "I'll go find Jace for you... I'll be right back." I get up from my seat and head for the only other doors in this room and enter through it. I enter a new part of the ship and follow the images in my head to find Jace. I look at the door he is behind and knocks on it gently.

I hear some rustling, and then it hisses and slides open. He looks down at me with a calm expression. "A lady on the holo wants to talk to you..." He exits the room and quickly makes it to the room I just came from. I follow him and peak around the corner. I shouldn't invade their privacy. Mom and dad hated it when I spied on them when they were alone and talking about things they didn't want me to hear.

I watch Jace give a respective bow, and the lady nods her head. "Grandmaster Satele, I'm on my way to Tython with the child Conobai, and I found. The empire attacked while we were busy with the family. I don't know why the surprise attack happened, but my best guess is it's about the boy." She nods her head slightly and waves her hand. Something flies into it, and I don't know what it is.

She closes her eyes, and the object glows and flies back out of the hologram's view. "I've summoned what members I could on Tython. I'm on Tython right now. When you get here, I'll meet you at the landing pad." With those words, the holo turns off, and his head turns around fast to see me peeking around the corner.

He waves for me to come out of my hiding spot, and I do. I walk in front of him, and he kneels to look me in the eyes directly. "Don't worry, Nathan. We should be arriving soon, so go and be with your family." I nod my head, and I head back into the cockpit. When the sliding door opens, I see my mom sitting in her chair with tears falling from her eyes. I quickly run over to her and give her the best hug I can muster.

She instantly reciprocates and kisses me all over my face. "My sweet baby..." I don't know what's wrong with mom, and the more I think about it, the worse my feelings about the future gets. She picks me up and places me on her lap. The door hisses, and Jace walks in. He sits in the pilot's seat and starts pressing buttons. He gives my parents a look, and my mom hugs me tighter as he gives them a solemn face.

He enters more commands, and the ship gets out of hyperspace. I see a vibrant world with big oceans and landmasses. "We have arrived at Tython, the current home of the Jedi." This must be one of the most important worlds in the republic. I see tons of ships coming and going. "I'll land the ship. Once planetside, we will be meeting with the Grandmaster of our order. She is one of the most powerful Jedi of this time." I nod my head as I listen to Jace. He brings the ship down to the planet, and we land on a landing pad by a big building.

He presses some buttons, and the ship powers down, and I hear the ramp unclamp. I don't know what it is about this world, but it feels so much better than Alderaan and Tatooine. I follow my parents to the ship's back end and exit the ship with them. I look around, and I see droids that I've never seen before, and all around the landing area, I notice other people like Jace. They give me looks of neutrality.

I get a feeling, but it's not something I can explain. I turn and see a woman with dark hair and blue eyes. She has a much longer hilt than any I've seen so far. "It's good to see you, padawan Jace. I'm sorry for what happened to Conobai, but he is one with the force now." I hide behind my dad's leg as she finishes her approach. She glances at me and smiles at me. "You must be the boy I met on the holo. I'm Satele Shan. I'm the Grandmaster of the Jedi order. It's nice to meet you." She holds out her hand as she kneels to my level.

My dad pushes me out from behind his leg and in front of her. I grab her hand and shake it. I add a bow since her title sounds important. "Hi... My name is Nathan Opal..." She puts her hand on top of my head and lightly ruffles my black hair. She stands up and looks at Jace, giving him a nod. He walks away, and we are left with Satele.

She puts her hands behind her back and looks at my parents. "We should go to the council chambers. We need to discuss what to do with Nathan." She looks at me and nods her head for me to follow. My mother is about to protest, but Satele holds up her hand. "Don't you think it'd be fair that he knows what we talk about? After all, his fate is to be decided in this meeting." Mom relents and leans into Dad's shoulder.

What did she mean my fate would be decided... I follow her and my parents are behind me. We reach a big open room with many floating cubes surrounding a big one. She leads us to giant doors, and we enter. Once inside the room, I look at the massive chamber with a table at its center. It has some of the most advanced holo-tech I've ever seen. She leads us to some chairs and has us take seats.

I sit between mom and dad. She presses a button, and many holograms of other Jedis flicker to life. "Fellow council members, we are meeting today to discuss what to do with the child Nathan Opal. His parents are here. After escaping Alderaan during its attack. While untraditional, I know you can all sense why this is being allowed." Many of the holograms nod their heads or rub their chins. I look over to mom, and she is doing an excellent job of holding it together.

Satele looks at me and draws my attention. "Nathan... Do you know what the force is?" This is the same question Conobai asked me. I shake my head no, and many of the people in the room look at my parents in disapproval. "Well, Nathan, the force is something that penetrates and binds every living thing in the galaxy. Everyone is connected to the force, but only a select few can wield it." I nod my head, trying to follow what she is saying.

My mom unconsciously grabs my hand and gently strokes her thumb on the top of my hand. "You have this ability, Nathan, and we are discussing if you should be taught our ways. While your parents are the ones to decide if we can take you or not, we also listen to the child if he is your age." I'm following along as best as possible. From what she is saying, I can be a Jedi. "So, Nathan. Do you want to learn how to use your powers for good and the republic?" I look down at my hands and realize that I'm very different.

The force is the cause of that difference if I can cause so much damage without meaning to what kind of destruction can I entail continuing without training. "I don't want to hurt any more people..." That seems to be a yes to the Jedi in the room as they all nod their heads at my response.

My mom grips my hand tight, but not painfully. Satele looks at my parents, waiting for their answers. "We discussed this on the way here... We think the best thing for Nathan is to be here with the Jedi..." My father is the only one to speak. Mom lets go of my hand and wraps one arm around me. "So that is our answer, Jedi... You get our son. I hope you know what you're doing..." I watch Satele close her eyes and press a button. All the holograms turn off, and she walks over to our seats.

We stand up, and she kneels in front of me. "Listen to what I'm about to say, Nathan... Your parents won't be around anymore after today, and you won't be seeing them again." I look at my mom and see the tears falling from her eyes. "Nathan, from now on, you are going to start learning the ways of the force and the Jedi. We are going to teach you everything we can about the force. I need you to give your parents and me some privacy. Go and explore the grounds. I'll come and get you so you can say goodbye." I'm holding my tears back as best as I can. I walk to the door and exit with a feeling of total emptiness. It completely sucks... I don't want them to go...