The Wild Mountains

~~~(POV: Nathan Opal)~~~

~~~(Location: Personal Ship, Alderaan)~~~

SCORPIO is currently flying the ship to The Wild Mountains, and we're almost there. I'm watching Nella with the Training Saber, and she's doing her best not to hit herself with it. It's going to take a while for her to get used to fighting with a bladed weapon.

While it's not an outright lightsaber, it still has its qualities of Omnidirectional attacks. This is hard to learn for someone that's never handled a weapon like that.

Nella is already showing promise with Saber Combat. While she hasn't attacked or been attacked, I can see from the way she's moving and holding the Training Saber that she's got promise. Add that with her connection to The Force, and she'll grow to be one of the strongest people in the galaxy.

"We'll be arriving at The Wild Mountains shortly. Shall I wait in the ship while you two handle this like Master and Apprentice?"

If it were anyone else asking, I'd say yes. But this is SCORPIO. She will tamper with something in the ship while we're gone. But I want to take this time in the Killiks Hive to train Nella. SCORPIO's idea isn't wrong in principle. I'm going to adjust it a bit.

She's not going to like this, but she has no choice. It's ironic. She's left one prison on Belsavis and traded it for another with me. While she's free, in another sense, she's not.

"No, you'll be coming with us. But I don't want you fighting. I want you hanging back and following. Nella and I will take on The Killiks."

SCORPIO doesn't react and just continues flying. She's getting smarter on not showing reactions around me. There are times she slips up, but they're becoming less frequent. The dangers of learning machines like SCORPIO.

Nella turns off the Training Saber, and that's when I notice she has nowhere to put it when she's done. I lift my hand, open a cupboard on the other side of her room, and pull out a strap with The Force.

It lands in front of her, and she looks at it and then at me. I nod my head once, and she picks it up and straps it to her clothes. I had her change into some old padawan gear I had. It's a perfect fit. But it's going to drive the guys crazy.

I didn't know that Nella has curves to her, and I'll have to teach her the dangers of walking around like that. It'll draw unwanted attention.

She walks over to me and smiles as she sits next to me.

"There are questions I need to ask you before I start training you in The Force. Lightsaber Combat is one thing, but Force abilities are another."

I have her full attention, and she's ready to answer any questions I have.

"How long have you known about your Force-Sensitivity?"

She raises her eyebrows at the strange question. This is for me to know how long she's been using them. For most of my childhood, I didn't know I had The Force or any abilities. I lashed out for the first time when my mother was getting beaten.

Every Force-Sensitive child has a different experience the first time, which can have a lasting impact on the child.

"It was when my Mom and I were on a walk... We were charged by a Frost Cat, and we didn't have any weapons... It was going to kill my Mom... I remember being filled with power and then lifting the Frost Cat up and throwing it back into a tree... Breaking it too..."

That's a mild first Force experience. Some have been worse. Others haven't.

"When was the first time you used your Force powers on purpose?"

This is an important question.

"It was a couple of days after the walk... I was playing with a toy in my room, and then Mom caught me... She got pretty mad..."

I understand that. My parents weren't happy learning I could use The Force either. They also didn't like it when I used it.

Before I can ask her another question, SCORPIO interrupts.

"We're closing in on The Wild Mountains. I'll find us a landing spot near one of the entrances to the cave network."

She's memorized the map, but she doesn't know that I have to. This is going to be a test for SCORPIO too. I want to see if she's trying to guide us somewhere that isn't our destination and pull some other Fark behind Nella and me while we're down there.