may the wrap be with you

"Xena!"

You look up as Tera walks up behind you. You had again been contemplating the dream you had last night. It continuously pervades your thoughts and you can't help but feel drawn back to it during quiet moments. You have heard that dreams are often filled with symbolism regarding current events in your life and can often be interpreted in some meaningful way. You've been focusing on the storm you'd seen, turning the vision around and around in your mind. You would think that a storm could symbolize turmoil in your life, but nothing has happened recently that could cause you that much concern. Perhaps it symbolizes your connection to the Force? However, it doesn't match your normal experiences with the Force. Additionally, why would you be feeling a storm-like disturbance in the Temple? Here, the Force feels calm – as peaceful and quiescent as the surface of the Temple pool. There are significantly fewer people within the Temple than without, and those that are here are mostly Knights and Masters who contribute to the maintenance of an oasis of peace.

"Xena! Let's go! We'll be late!"

You jerk out of your thoughts. Tera's spiky-bright hum of impatience draws you to your feet and you begin your walk to the training yard. As you go, you listen to her chatter on with excitement and anticipation. The two of you, along with a good portion of other Younglings, have been told that you are nearly ready to take the Initiate Trials, and she obviously cannot wait, running on with hypotheticals about what you may or may not face during the trials, and who your eventual masters could be. You can't help but be excited as well, drawn into the pure anticipation that she radiates.

Passing the Initiate Trials will make you eligible to become a Padawan Learner. As a Padawan, you will finally be able to leave the Temple and explore the galaxy! But, then again… whenever you left the Temple in the past, on chaperoned day trips and the like, you always couldn't help but feel overwhelmed. So many people! So many thoughts and emotions and souls around you that you could barely tell who was who and what was what. It was all that you could do to parse out your own self from the crowd. Perhaps staying in the Temple would be better…

All the other Younglings radiate dark-red derision when speaking of the alternative, joining the Service Corps, but it cannot be that bad. After all, nurturing crops, healing, teaching, exploring… these don't sound too bad. It's honest work, and best of all, you likely wouldn't have to be around so many people if you were to join any one of the Service Corps branches. If you are unable to master yourself and find some way of suppressing the deluge of thoughts and emotions of other beings, then this would be a viable career that you may even come to enjoy.

So long as you can survive the shame of failing the Initiate Trials that is…

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Physical training is taught by an off-duty Jedi Temple guard today. Master Masbau strides across the room as the students perform their warm-up exercises, lecturing as he goes.

"The Three Pillars consist of the Force, Knowledge, and Self-Discipline. Every one of you has built a foundation for each pillar at this point, and it is my responsibility to help you build up from there. Keep each of these in your mind throughout today's lesson and form connections between each Pillar and your actions.

"This morning, you practiced with the Force. Remember, just like with muscles, the more you practice, the stronger you get. With the Force, your connection will continuously get stronger. Whenever you get the chance, you must practice! Even simple telekinetic exercises like the one that Knight Lan had you perform this morning will reveal their necessity given time. However, remember that the Force is not a toy. Do not play with it. Do not abuse it.

"As an initiate, you have learned about the aspect of the Force called Control. Control is centered around your own body. The Force exists in everything, including your body. Develop your Control and you will always understand what your body can do, and how it can do better. Master it, and you will master yourself. You will build upon your knowledge and your connection with the Force as you progress through each of the three aspects of the Force: Control, Sense, and Alter. During our exercises, allow the Force to flow through you. Open your mind to it, for it will never lead you astray when it comes to your own body."

At this, you feel a bit of frustration. Your inability to sense the Force within you continuously hampers you. Why can't you do it? You have always been able to sense the emotions of others, an ability that the Masters say is rather rare, and is a relatively advanced technique for someone of your age, yet you cannot even perform the most basic of tasks! At this rate, it's even possible that you could be held back from the Initiate Trials!

But, this isn't the time to panic. You calm yourself with a quick breath, then continue on with your stretches as Master Masbau finishes up his monologue.

"Form good habits throughout your life! Here, we help by structuring each day around the Pillars, but once you leave the life of an initiate, you will have to keep up your practices by yourself. Your master will do their best to assist you, but remember that it is your own responsibility to yourself to ingrain these tenets within you. After all, once you've graduated from Padawan to Knight, you will often have no one but yourself. No one to guide your connection to the Force. No one to teach you about our galaxy. And worst of all, no one to tell you how to exercise well. Now, everybody gather around! We're going to start our run in a moment!"

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The two other Aspects of the Force, Sense and Alter, are supposedly out of the reach of the majority of initiates. It is expected that Younglings like yourself build up from Control, then learn Sense as a Padawan, and Alter as a Knight. You, however, naturally have the ability to sense other beings around you. When you were much younger, you had assumed that everybody else was able to do the same, with this thought only reinforced by the fact that your minders seemed to share this ability with you. You believed that other Younglings simply didn't pay attention to each other's feelings, too young and immature to care. It was only later, after a tantrum in which you screamed your frustrations out at another Youngling for not sharing a toy, that you learned from the caretaker that this was not a common ability. Thinking back to it, it is clear that the reason why your minders could sense emotion was because they were Knights and Masters who had volunteered for, or been assigned the task of taking care of Younglings due to their capability in sensing emotions.

You have tried to learn more about Sense, but have made little progress. Your instructors indulge your curiosity most of the time, but always advise you to master Control first. Unfortunately, it seems that you are only able to sense the presence, emotions, and true-self of others at this time. You still lack the capability to sense more of the environment around you.

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After your run, Master Masbau leads the class through the various Forms of lightsaber combat. Most of the instructors, like Master Masbau, focus on Form VI, Niman, but you at least know the basics of the other five basic Forms. It is only Form VII, Vaapad, and the unnumbered Jar'Kai that you are unfamiliar with, what with one being banned and the other requiring the use of two sabers.

You aren't the best with lightsaber combat, but you do your best to keep up with the class. Your lack of height, and therefore lack of reach, often causes you to fall into the defensive. Fortunately, the Form you are most familiar with, Niman, is mostly balanced with a slight emphasis on defensive fighting. Additionally, while Niman relies heavily on the use of Force powers in its application, most of the use of the Force is applied away from your body, generally to disrupt your opponent in some manner. Aside from Form VI, the Form you are next most familiar with is Form IV, Ataru, the Aggressive Form. Many Jedi see this form as barbaric or overly aggressive. What place does such an aggressive combat style have in a peaceful galaxy? Jedi are peacekeepers, not assault troops! Yet despite the stigma, you have pursued this Form in order to negate your shortcomings for being on the smaller side. Through a flurry of quick and decisive blows, you can, in theory, force an opening and finish your opponent.