Chapter 2

As Kaedan stepped into the meditation chamber, his senses were immediately overwhelmed. The room was vast, its high ceiling adorned with intricate patterns that seemed to shimmer in the soft morning light streaming through tall, arched windows. The air was thick with the scent of incense, a heady mixture that made him feel lightheaded for a moment.

Dozens of younglings sat in neat rows on circular cushions, their eyes closed in peaceful concentration. Kaedan's gaze swept over them, taking in the diverse array of species – humans, Twi'leks, Rodians, and others he couldn't even name. It was one thing to see aliens in movies and TV shows, but to be standing among them, to smell the distinct odors of their species and hear the soft sounds of their breathing, was utterly surreal.

The Twi'lek Jedi who had escorted him gently guided Kaedan to an empty cushion. As he lowered himself onto it, trying to mimic the cross-legged posture of the others, he couldn't help but marvel at the feel of the rough fabric beneath his small hands. Everything felt so viscerally real – the temperature of the room, the subtle vibrations in the floor from distant machinery, even the slight itch of the simple tunic he wore.

At the front of the room, a diminutive green figure sat on a slightly elevated platform. Kaedan's breath caught in his throat as he realized he was looking at Master Yoda himself. The ancient Jedi's eyes were closed, his expression serene, but there was an unmistakable aura of power that seemed to radiate from him.

"Close your eyes, younglings," Yoda's gravelly voice filled the chamber. "Feel the Force around you, you must."

Kaedan obediently shut his eyes, his heart pounding with excitement and trepidation. He had dreamed of this moment countless times, imagining what it would be like to truly touch the Force. But now that he was here, he found himself at a loss. What was he supposed to do?

"Breathe deeply," Yoda continued. "Through you, the Force flows. A part of everything, it is."

Trying to calm his racing thoughts, Kaedan focused on his breathing. In and out. In and out. He tried to imagine the Force as he had always envisioned it – an energy field connecting all living things. But nothing happened. He felt no cosmic connection, no mystical energy. Just the growing discomfort of sitting still for too long in an unfamiliar body.

Kaedan cracked one eye open, peering around the room. The other younglings sat motionless, their faces peaceful. Some even had small objects floating in front of them – pebbles, styluses, and other tiny items suspended in midair by sheer willpower.

A wave of frustration washed over him. He was supposed to be good at this, wasn't he? He had decades of knowledge about the Force, about Jedi techniques and philosophy. So why couldn't he feel anything?

"Struggling, you are," Yoda's voice startled him. Kaedan's eyes snapped open to find the Jedi Master standing directly in front of him, a knowing look in his ancient eyes. "Too much in your mind, there is. Let go, you must."

Kaedan nodded, trying to hide his embarrassment. "I'm trying, Master," he said, the childish voice still strange to his ears. "I just... I can't seem to feel it."

Yoda hummed thoughtfully, then reached out and gently tapped Kaedan's chest with his gnarled walking stick. "Feel with your heart, not your head. The Force, a mystery it is. Understand it, we cannot. Experience it, we must."

With that cryptic advice, Yoda moved on to assist another student, leaving Kaedan to ponder his words. Closing his eyes once more, Kaedan tried to let go of his preconceptions, his expectations, his very sense of self. He focused on the rhythm of his breathing, on the solid ground beneath him, on the ambient sounds of the chamber.

And then, ever so faintly, he felt it. A tingling at the edges of his awareness, a sense of connection to something vast and incomprehensible. It was nothing like he had imagined, yet somehow exactly what he had always known it would be. The Force flowed through him, around him, binding him to every other living thing in the room – in the Temple – on the entire planet of Coruscant.

A gasp escaped his lips as the sensation intensified. He could feel the life energy of the younglings around him, the ancient wisdom of Master Yoda, even the distant thrum of the bustling city-planet beyond the Temple walls. It was beautiful, overwhelming, and terrifying all at once.

Suddenly, Kaedan felt something shift. A small weight lifted from his lap, and his eyes flew open in surprise. The cushion he sat on was hovering several inches off the ground, with him still on it. A mixture of elation and panic surged through him, breaking his concentration. The cushion dropped back to the floor with a soft thud.

A ripple of excited whispers spread through the chamber. Kaedan felt his cheeks burn with embarrassment, but when he looked up, he saw Master Yoda watching him with an enigmatic smile.

"Powerful, the Force is," Yoda said, addressing the entire class but keeping his eyes on Kaedan. "Control it, we must learn. But first, feel it, we must."

As the lesson continued, Kaedan's mind raced. He had done it – he had actually used the Force. The implications were staggering. He wasn't just in a hyper-realistic dream or simulation. Somehow, he had been truly transported into this world, given access to abilities he had only ever fantasized about.

But with that realization came a sobering thought. If he really was here, if this really was the Star Wars universe he knew so well, then he was aware of the dark times that lay ahead. The Clone Wars, Order 66, the fall of the Jedi Order – it was all waiting in the future. And now, impossibly, he was a part of it.

As the meditation session came to an end and the younglings began to file out of the chamber for their next lesson, Kaedan remained seated on his cushion, lost in thought. He had been given an incredible gift, but also an immense responsibility. Whatever cosmic force had brought him here, he knew he couldn't simply be a passive observer. He had the power to change things, to potentially save countless lives.

But should he? The implications of altering such monumental events were staggering. What if his actions only made things worse?

"Coming, are you, young Kaedan?" Yoda's voice broke through his reverie. The ancient Jedi Master stood by the door, leaning on his walking stick and regarding Kaedan with curiosity.

Kaedan nodded, pushing himself to his feet. As he followed Yoda out into the grand hallways of the Jedi Temple, his mind continued to churn with questions and possibilities.