How many people dream of seeing the stars. Not in pictures, and not even in the sky. In space, real space. Vast, boundless. Gloomy and beautiful in its own way. My first time in space on a spaceship even scared me a little. The engines barely made a sound, but the feeling that the ship was moving – that scared me at first. Yes… This is not like the space combat simulator I had at home. Computer games here were also… a bit too simple and dumb, to be honest. There were almost no strategies. If you don't count a chess analogue as a strategy. What really captivated me at the time was the Space Simulator of some thousands.
It was distributed on the FIFA model from Electronic Arts. The graphics, mechanics, and controls, according to my father, hadn't changed in the last couple of dozen installments of the game. Only the starships changed. And I flew well in the simulator. Even too well; on insane difficulty, my talent helped me react quickly to all environmental conditions in the game. But this is just a game. How I'll behave at a real helm, I still have to find out. According to Uncle Gadji, this version is designed for kids. Military academy students use full combat simulators. That's where there's something close to realism. In one of the Academies, according to him, there's a device that gives a slight electric shock to the loser of such a simulator. Sith methodology, however… they also liked to shock disobedient subordinates who didn't follow orders. Except Darth Sidius didn't suffer from that with Vader, apparently fearing to overload the student prematurely. Remembering the Sith, I thought about my situation.
I had no choice. It was an illusion of choice, if I'm being honest. The Sith, whoever they are, know about me. And they wouldn't leave me alone if I had stayed on Tustra. Moreover, it's also bad that they generally know about my relatives. And that means problems, possibly. After all, if I became a Jedi, it would be easy to turn me to the Sith path by taking my relatives hostage. How difficult this is, damn it, these Sith. Damn, I'm even starting to swear in the DGG dialect. And I once thought that Basic was the devil's invention and I would never master it. Now – I write, read, unconsciously speak?
"Boy," a soft, gentle voice was heard. Turning, I saw Vaila, the Twi'lek accompanying the Republic diplomats, clearly using this beautiful, slender, blue-skinned exotic not only for diplomatic consultations. "I think you'll be interested in going to the observation windows to look at the beautiful stars."
"Thank you, auntie," I said calmly. There are places on this ship where one can observe the stars. I'd like a quieter place, further away from sentient beings. Maybe I could even meditate.
But I wasn't allowed to meditate. Vaila accompanied me and was even too close to my body, which made me tense. Her rather revealing clothing shouldn't have embarrassed a child, but my mind – the mind of an adult man. And exotics were just beautiful women to me. Getting up from the sofa where I was sitting in something resembling a lounge, I moved towards one of the rooms. Judging by the inscription, it was an "observation room." Perhaps this corvette could be used as a combat vessel, but this one is clearly assigned to diplomats, as it has almost no armament, but it does have rooms like this.
"And how old are you, young Light?" she asked with a sort of sigh.
"I'm five," I said, trying to move further away from her.
"And what are you doing?" Vaila asked. The woman's warm breath distracted me from my concentration.
"Auntie. I'm five, why are you distracting me?" I asked innocently. "Are you, forgive me for asking, normal?"
"In what sense?" Vaila blinked in surprise.
"Well, I'm five years old, and you're all over me like… like…"
"Calm down," the woman smiled gently, hugging me. "I thought I heard you were smarter than your peers, but this much. If it weren't for the pirates," she said, "my son would be your age this year. I thought, maybe you need someone to help you a little, talk to you, after all, your departure from home was, as I understood, somewhat abrupt."
"It was my decision," I pouted. "I decided myself that I should leave with Master Yoda."
"Is that so," the woman smiled softly. "And you decided to become a Jedi?"
"A Jedi Knight, a defender of the Republic," except Jedi hardly defend the Republic anymore. Maybe they once did, but now they act more like defenders of the Senators' interests. I should reflect on this when I get to Coruscant. It is there that I will be able to obtain the information I am interested in, not only on Force techniques and swordsmanship. Politics, history. It is there that I will understand how to interfere in the history of the DGG. What to do about Order 66? About the Order? And by then, many conflicts will have passed. The Naboo conflict, Stark's Hyperspace War, and a bunch of local and not-so-local Wars. It's not for nothing that this universe is called 'Star Wars.'
"Well, I hope you succeed," Vaila said.
"We're going into hyperspace," the corvette's Captain announced.
I shifted my gaze to the observation window. It wasn't very good for seeing how the stars stretched, but the blue expanse of hyperspace was captivating.
"Vaila," the door opened, revealing Vaila's superior. "I'm waiting for you in my cabin, we need to discuss," he shot a glance at me, "some work matters."
"Good luck," I said to Vaila. "Have a pleasant rest, uncle."
"You…" the diplomat only managed to say. He didn't get to finish, because Vaila, patting me on the hair, left, taking the man by the hand.
Well, at least now I can meditate properly while there's time until Coruscant. The Force felt somewhat different in space. More immense, cold, and neutral. I felt, slipping into meditation, my connection to the Force. Concentrating, I also felt all the sentient beings on this ship. They burned with bright light, bright auras.
"Did anyone teach you this?" Yoda's voice suddenly boomed, making me instantly lose concentration and jump aside.
"I… didn't sense you?" I said in surprise. "How?"
"Too young you are to sense me," Yoda said, pointing his stick at me. "Force Cloak, that is what I used. Weak you are in the Force, to sense me."
"Uh-huh," I sighed sadly. I would have been surprised if I could have sensed him.
"You did not answer my question," Yoda frowned. "Who taught you this?"
"Myself," I said, slightly sluggishly. "Since childhood. I didn't have many friends, Master Yoda. So I always stayed apart from everyone. And somehow, I just fell asleep. That dream showed me a vision."
"A vision?" Yoda asked.
"About what Mom would cook," I smiled.
In principle, I could have used this framework for my knowledge about the Sith. That Hego Damask, by the way, one of the best friends of Sifo-Dyas, is actually Darth Plagueis. To expose Sidius, to expose the Prophets of the Dark Side on Dromund Kaas. But I know perfectly well about the butterfly effect. And I'm afraid. What if the Jedi miss Plagueis? What if they miss the Prophets of the Dark Side? What if they find out who exposed them and seek revenge? No, for now, I'm not sure of myself, let alone the Order, which is negligent in its duties. Perhaps during the Ruusan Reformation, many saw this position of the Order as a good thing. But I am one of those who consider this position of the Order precisely a mistake. Without changes, the Order is incapable of resisting the Sith. Therefore, it must change. First and foremost, change myself.
"With the Force, strong your connection is, yes," Yoda shook his head. "Into meditation yourself you enter."
"Is that good?" I asked Yoda.
"Both yes and no," Yoda cut off. "Good that you know more than others, hmm? Yes, good it is. Easier your training will be, for contact with the Force you have already found. But good that you yourself, without a mentor and proper observation, decided to study the unknown? Bad it is. The unknown is dangerous. Dangers when an adult and strong Jedi is exposed to – normal it is. But a child, who has barely learned to live – bad it is. But blame you I cannot for this. Wonderful the mind of children is, yours is most wonderful. You have achieved more than many."
I smiled. He seemed to scold me, but also praised me, which was still pleasant.
"But do not become proud. Long and thorny is the path of a Jedi. And pride is a vice that leads to arrogance, which leads to vanity, and vanity is the direct path to the Dark Side of the Force."
"Master Yoda," I called him. "If the path of a Jedi is long and thorny, then the path of those who walk the dark side is not long and not thorny?"
"Dangerous path this is. Easier it is, certainly, but is it so easy in relation to the Force? Always remember, young Light. Jedi do not walk the easy path in the knowledge of the Force, it is hard for us, but that is why we are the Jedi Order, which protects the Republic, our enemies do not understand this," Yoda said sadly. "Smart you are and talented. Cautious you must be."
"I think… I understand," I said, although in some moments he probably confused me even more.
"When it ceases to seem," he poked my chest with his stick, "then you will understand. Sit," he commanded.
"Sit?" I asked.
"Teach you I will a little, how a Jedi should meditate," Yoda said. "Understand you will our path better with the help of the Mind, which prevails in you."
***
"We are exiting hyperspace in three… two… one," the Captain's voice sounded over the loudspeaker. The ship shook slightly, though it was just, in my critical opinion.
No one was allowed on the bridge except the pilots during flight. I spent the entire flight in meditation; Yoda taught me. And yes, the meditation I used before was, from Yoda's perspective, incorrect only because I didn't use the code. It turns out that this somehow affects meditation and the Force itself. Connecting to the Force through self-suggestion of the Jedi Code was difficult at first. After all, I hadn't used any formulas before.
"No emotion, there is peace," Yoda recited, surprisingly, he pronounced the code with the correct sentence structure. "This means that emotions you must not cast aside, but control and subordinate. A Jedi should not be subject to emotions. No ignorance, there is knowledge," Yoda continued. "This means that if there is something you do not know – it does not mean you cannot learn it. Understand, accept facts you must. Flexibility of mind a Jedi must have. So that he can understand everything he did not understand before. No passion, there is clarity of thought. Concentrating on immediate gain is not allowed. The task of Jedi is global, young Light, you cannot put all your strength into a specific goal. Do not doubt – do what must be done, but if you doubt – do not do it. No chaos, there is harmony," Yoda continued. "Minor failures, troubles, setbacks – all insignificant they are. All this was before you, all this will be after you, do not forget this, follow your path. No death, there is the Great Force. The dead go into the Force. They continue to live, in it, in our hearts and thoughts, but remember that they died. The Jedi Code this is, you will study it."
"Master Yoda," I called the green-skinned exotic, finishing my meditation, running the code's postulates through my mind. "But if there are no emotions, how do we express them? Why do we deny them? If there is no ignorance, are Jedi all-knowing? Why is the absence of ignorance postulated if we literally don't know much? And if I… die. Then everything will end. What is the meaning of the last postulate if death is death? It is the logical conclusion of all living things."
"Interesting questions you ask, to the postulates about the absence of passion and chaos you asked no questions. Explain I must what you did not understand. Emotions must be subject to control. With a cool head you must look at events. Telling the truth: this is the most difficult, do you know why?"
"We are sentient beings, subject to emotions from birth," I replied. "It's hard to give up what's inside us from the beginning."
"True you speak," Yoda nodded. "However, emotions are the path to the Dark Side of the Force. Love easily leads to hate, and hate to anger, which is the Dark Side. The Dark Emotion. Sith bring chaos with this power. Understand you will, that all the postulates of the code are interconnected. No harmony outside without control of emotions inside, no knowledge without clarity of thought."
"And what about my other questions?" I asked Yoda. "How can it be postulated that there is no ignorance? If there is so much unknown in the Galaxy."
"True you speak, Great the Galaxy is in its size. This postulate states that the unknown we must learn, not fearing it due to ignorance. Learn the world around. From the examples of history of many Jedi you will learn, soon, how to understand all the postulates of the Code."
"But what about death?" I asked. "If I can understand, albeit with questions, some postulates, then why do we deny death?"
Frankly, Yoda's explanations about emotions and knowledge clarified something; I understood how he himself felt about it and how he would teach everyone around. But why limit himself so much regarding emotions? I always thought Jedi were disliked because of their emotions. They can give any order, guided solely by cold rationality, ignoring emotions. Because of this, sentient beings cannot understand them, which is why they hate them. This indifference of the Jedi, when they referred to their code – they did not punish murderers and pirates – this very thing became a catalyst for hatred towards them. I agree that emotions need to be controlled, but current Jedi do not control them; they deny their existence. As for knowledge, it was just a question for the sake of a question. But about death. The current Yoda has only heard about Force ghosts, perhaps. But he has not seen, encountered, or mastered this technique. I would also like to learn it, to appear and guide history if I do not succeed in my own body. I hope I never have to use it.
"There is no death," Yoda said. "When a Jedi dies, he merges with the Force. The Force, which envelops our galaxy, inextricably binds all living things. Thus, the dead live, in the Force," Yoda said.
"So, they literally are the Force? And can they communicate with us?" I asked. "Can we communicate with those who have already departed, to inherit their knowledge?"
"Yes," Yoda nodded. "There is a way, but only powerful Jedi are capable of it. They can create Holocrons and communicate with us, teaching us."
"I'm not talking about that, Master Yoda. As I understand it, Holocrons are physical objects," Yoda nodded, "but what if there is a method by which we can communicate with any Jedi who has merged with the Force? After all, you yourself said that they have merged with the Force, which means they can appear before us and communicate. Without Holocrons. Or can they not?"
"Hmm," Yoda mused. "Strange thoughts that can meet in a child's head. Truly... There is certainly a way, but I do not know it," Yoda smiled at me. "I will meditate on this. It is important to gain the knowledge of Jedi, not only those who created Holocrons. You express interesting thoughts."
"No passions – there is clarity of thought, Master Yoda," I recited one of the postulates.
"True," Yoda nodded, "true. You are wise beyond your years. You will become a great Jedi. I will watch your progress."
"Will you not be my teacher?" I clarified just in case.
"Not I," Yoda agreed. "The Council's affairs take up much of my time. Although I will teach all younglings. And I will talk with you if questions arise."
Meanwhile, the ship entered Coruscant's atmosphere, and my breath caught at what I saw through the viewport. Incredible buildings made of glass and steel. Coruscant Prime, the star of Coruscant, acting as the Sun, illuminated the legendary city-planet. This is the wealthiest world of the Republic, located at the intersection of several trade and hyperspace routes. It is the forge of all Republic politics, the forge of the economy. Whoever owns Coruscant, owns at least the Central worlds, the most developed worlds in the galaxy, with the greatest economic power. Coruscant has very busy traffic, which was noticeable even from the viewport. Speeders flew at incredible speeds for road traffic.
"This amazes you, yes?" Yoda asked. "We are flying to the Jedi. To the Temple."
"To the Temple?" I asked. "What about those diplomats?"
"This ship belongs to the Jedi; they will drop us off first, and then they will go home by speeder. Did you make friends with them?" Yoda asked.
"I wouldn't say I made friends," the men hardly paid attention to me, but Vaila. She's a woman, although I understand it's foolish. My adult mind reacts to her beautiful body, but not to her character.
"Mmm?" Yoda looked at me questioningly. "Alright. We'll land soon."
The ship circled the Jedi Temple slightly, and I could only catch a glimpse of what would soon become my home. For a long time, by the way. A huge cube, like in the movies, comics, and games, with five towers placed around the perimeter and in the center. Each of which housed its own Councils. Concentrating on sensory perception, I thought I would go blind. The Temple was located precisely on a huge amount of the Force; literally, the Force was churning beneath it. According to canon, it was built on a Force Nexus by four Masters – two sages and two warriors. Contrary to logic, the High Council of the Jedi Order was not located in the tallest tower-spire, towering above all the others (Author's note: Imagine, when I was working on this chapter in the draft stage a couple of months ago, I thought differently). The Central Tower housed meditation halls, mostly. Ancient texts were also stored there.
The First Spire, as the spire on the southwest side was called, Yoda explained to me, was intended for the High Council of the Jedi Order. It currently includes: Teym Sirullian, a human, Yoda, Tiwok'ka – a Wookiee, T'un – a half-breed Seph and Arkanian, Deira Von – a human – these are the ones I knew before reincarnation (Author's note: Around this period, the mentioned individuals were part of the High Council, however! I know nothing about T'un's race – so it's my imagination, he is several hundred years old). In addition to them, the Council included Mila Gar – a Twi'lek, Thorn Shyr – a Togruta, Gar Mirt – a Mon Calamari, Yula Brylon. Frankly, it wasn't necessary for me to remember everyone. By the time of more or less important events, many of them would not survive. Most would die, as befits a Jedi – not their own death. And even now, the Council is not complete. Four masters are missing, and this is in a generally peaceful time.
The Second Spire, to the northwest, is the Council of First Knowledge. It gives advice to everyone, a kind of Jedi Google. They were the ones who managed the Archives, as well as the Academy, which, according to Yoda, I will attend. They will be responsible for my training. The Jedi Academy teaches not only how to properly slice sentient beings with a lightsaber and hypnotize them with the Force. The main sphere of a Jedi is diplomacy. Reconciliation, conflict resolution. They teach history, politics, the culture of different races, rhetoric, and, albeit superficially, how to command armies and fleets. This is what Yoda told me. "You will learn much before you become a Jedi."
The Third Spire, to the southeast. The Council of Reconciliation. They are responsible for peacekeeping activities. Mostly, members of this Council engaged in diplomacy in the Senate. Knights-Jedi could be sent to these places.
The Fourth Spire – the northeastern tower. The Council of Assignment. They assign all Jedi to their posts. They are responsible for making younglings into Padawans or sending them to the Service Corps.
I asked Yoda about almost everything I had heard, and he gladly told me everything. Although now I can experience it all in practice, not in theory, in comics, movies, and games… The ship shook slightly as it landed in the hangar bay. The sound of the ramp opening was heard… Well, that's it, the road is now definitely one-way.