3rd Person

The training grounds of the temple were largely barren. Aside from a large expanse of stone that formed a courtyard, the grounds were home to an ancient tree. Eons old, the bygone uneti tree was said to have once grown at the original Jedi temple. The tree both symbolized the long-lived history of the order, as well as its future. At the base of the Great Tree, Jedi Master Adi Gallia meditated in a state of serenity while waiting for her Padawan to arrive.

Adi

A proper Jedi never allowed their feelings to sway them; I knew this well. Yet, as I witnessed the boy become overcome with emotion after I agreed to teach him, I was unable to prevent a smile from reaching my lips. Happiness had welled up inside of me, and I didn't stop it. It was unlike me, so much so that I had surprised myself. I wouldn't let it happen again. Softly, I whispered to myself the code I had been raised to follow.

'There is no emotion, there is peace.There is no ignorance, there is knowledge.There is no passion, there is serenity.There is no chaos, there is harmony.There is no death, there is the Force.'

Last night, I informed the council of my decision to train Zevon Boltreaver. The announcement had been met with some outcry, whether it be out of fear for the boy's safety or fundamentalism. It must have been the most controversial Padawan selection since... well, since Skywalker. In any case, I wasn't entirely steadfast in my choice.

My better judgement told me it was a bad idea, that Boltreaver was simply unfit to be a Jedi. Maybe it was only curiosity, but my instincts told me otherwise. Well, he should be arriving soon.

Zevon

For most, waking at the hour of 5:00 was a tall order. For me, it was Primeday, Centaxday, Taungsday, Zhellday, and Benduday. Apparently Master Gallia operated similarly, as prior to leaving me in the underworld, she had clearly stated these words:

'Your training begins tomorrow at 5:30. Meet me at the training grounds.'

Sure enough, there she was, sitting peacefully beside the Great Tree. I approached her quietly so as to not disturb the Master, but she sensed me anyway. Opening her eyes, the Tholothian Jedi spoke.

"You're on time. Good, let's begin."

"Yes, Master." I responded with a bow. Master Gallia then unveiled a cloth pouch.

"First, a basic test of your affinity with the force." she voiced, revealing a collection of multicolored jewels. My heart sank. This is where the pain begins. A test of this nature had only one result for me.

"Levitate this gemstone." Master Gallia commanded, imparting a crimson stone into my palm. I focused, allowing the force to surround and bind me. Slowly, the stone began to tremble. Then, at a snail's pace, it floated. For roughly five seconds, I succeeded in suspending the jewel in the air until my mental state was overwhelmed.

"Do it again." Master Gallia ordered once more. I attempted to comply with her demand, but I was unable to produce the feat twice.

This agonizing pattern repeated for about six hours. Master Gallia would order me to perform a task, and without fail, I would fail. Next it was force pull, then it was force push. We went through almost every force ability known to the Jedi. Psychometry, force stasis, mind tricks, etc. The results were as expected. Even the stoic Master Gallia was shocked at how below-average my force powers were. As other master-padawan duos entered the training grounds, the whispers materialized.

"Someone like him is her padawan?"

"I couldn't believe it when I heard the news."

"The Weakest Jedi is Master Gallia's padawan, what a joke!"

I was long accustomed to the gossip, but I hated for my new master to get dragged into my world.

"I'm sorry for my lack of talent, Master Gallia." I muttered shamefully to my new master.

"Don't apologize to me, apologize to yourself." she replied with one of her rare sarcastic remarks. Then she got serious. "Zevon, do you think I selected you as my padawan for your talent?"

"No, Master." I said, shaking my head.

"Of course not. Gods of Mortis, you have none." she voiced, shaking her head.

'Didn't need that last part, Master.' I internally rolled my eyes.

No... I chose you for something else. Your resolve, your dedication, I want to see where these qualities take you. Pay no attention to those extras, their chatter is no more sophisticated than that of a kowakian monkey-lizard." Master Gallia insisted.

"Were you always this witty?" I inquired, grinning.

"Please, you're just unobservant." Master Gallia answered smugly. "Now, that's enough distractions. Follow me, Zevon. There's something I must retrieve from my quarters."

After running her errand, Master Gallia decided we ought to get some lunch. We ate our meals in silence, neither of us saying a word. Finishing within ten minutes, my master hurried in resuming the day's work.

"Come, we'll return to the training grounds." she stated, making haste.

Ignoring the horde of masters and trainees that now occupied the grounds, I followed Master Gallia to the Great Tree once more. She cleared her throat before turning to me.

"Zevon, based on my assessment, I've concluded that there are only three things for you to learn."

"Three, master? Why only three?" I protested.

"Because there are only three things you can learn, padawan."

"Okay... tell me then, master." I requested.

"First, you must improve your awareness and understanding of the force around you. Thus, you must improve your sense of the force." she listed, lifting a finger.

"Master, you know I can barely sense anything beyond three meters." I reminded her.

"Therefore, you will make those three meters your domain." she retorted before continuing.

"Second, you must master applying the force for physical enhancement. If you can properly integrate the living force with your body, incredible feats of physical strength and agility will be yours. Additionally, you will gain a defense against other force abilities. If you render the force powers of others useless, they will have to fight on your terms. Thus, you must improve your control of the force." As she lifted another finger, I nodded in response to her explanation. It made sense, force control was one of my only strengths. As she began listing off the last task, she reached toward her belt to grab something.

"Third, you must improve your skills with a lightsaber. All younglings are trained in the basics, but moving forward you will have to learn each and every form of lightsaber combat to compete with anyone. Thus, you'll need this." She then placed an object into my hands, wrapped in cloth.

Impossible. Much to my own amazement, it was a lightsaber. A battered, worn lightsaber, but a lightsaber nonetheless. I fumbled around with the hilt before finding the switch. Activating it generated a blade of ethereal green. I stared at the weapon, entranced for what felt like millennia.

"Ahem." Master Gallia cleared her throat, breaking the spell that had been cast over me. "For now, you'll use my old lightsaber. Until you earn your own, it'll do."

"Thank you, master." I acknowledged, wondering if that would ever happen. Master Gallia then proceeded to ignite her own azure blade.

"Now, let's begin. Copy my stance." she ordered, planting her feet firmly while holding her saber in front of her. I did my best to mimic her form.

"This is form I, Shii-Cho. It is the oldest and most basic form. Watch me, padawan." she notified before unleashing a series of wide, powerful strikes. "Now, your turn. Be sure to put your entire body into your swing."

My attempts to replicate her movements were unsuccessful. Despite my physical training, I was unable to contain the power of my swings. Each slice broke my balance, causing me to lose my footing. Before long, I tumbled to the ground.

"You have resolve, but resolve is nothing without focus." Master Gallia proclaimed, standing over me. "On your feet, do it once more."

"I know, I know." I muttered. I did as she asked for a few more repetitions before stumbling once more.

"Focus!" she commanded. I would be hearing her echo that word over the next few hours. Again and again I practiced the basic motions of Shii-Cho. My improvement was incredibly slow, but I could gradually see my form become more smooth and controlled. Perhaps she saw this as well, as she eventually she gestured for me to stop. Had it really been hours? The time had gone by so fast. Well, my arms felt like they'd been hit by a Republic Star Destroyer, so I guess the timeline made sense.

"Now that you've practiced form I offense, it's time for defense." Master Gallia announced. Her next action caught me off guard. Without warning, she wildly swung her saber at my throat. I failed to parry her ambush, and as a result I found myself standing still with her blade to my neck.

"Master?!" I nervously stuttered. At this, she relaxed her arm and dropped her saber to her side. Before I could collect myself, she readied another assault.

"As of now, I'm a Sith Lord. Act accordingly." she said.

Master Gallia was relentless. A famous practitioner of form V, she was able to effortlessly alternate between offense and defense. I was able to parry maybe twenty percent of her slashes, but who knows if she was even trying. The other eighty percent of her strikes stopped before they could dismember me, albeit a little too close for comfort. As we wrapped up the training session, my master divulged some more wisdom.

"Most Jedi find that the movements of a specific form are natural for them, but you will not be one of them. To make these movements second-nature will be a constant struggle, but I'm sure that's nothing new for you."

"Of course, master. I know that all too well." I nodded with a grimace.

"Good, that's enough for today. Tomorrow we'll begin force control and force sense. I'll send you some additional holo-recordings of form I for further practice. Dismissed, Zevon." she articulated, turning off her blue saber.

"Wait Master!" I called before she could make her exit. She raised an eyebrow. "Master, I'm sorry I didn't say it properly earlier, I was so taken aback. But, thank you for taking me as your apprentice. It means... it means a lot." I expressed with a deep bow of gratitude. Looking up to gauge her reaction, I recognized the familiar frigid expression she wore constantly.

"There's no need for thanks, I didn't choose you out of pity. As I've said, I chose you for your unique qualities. That being said..." she trailed off. Something was weighing on her mind.

"That being said...?" I asked quizically.

"Zevon, I've sensed great conflict in you. Fear, jealousy, anger; I'm sure these thoughts and feelings come from your circumstances. They can lead to the dark side." Master Gallia stated seriously.

Shaken by her assessment, I reflected internally. Was it really that obvious? Of course I was fearful. I was afraid of failure, afraid of weakness. More than anything, I was afraid of not living up to my own expectations. And... jealousy? Ahsoka. Of course I was jealous of her, why had she been born so gifted when I was not? Why did everything come so easily to her? And why... why did she have to go behind my back? Remembering her betrayal made my blood boil. She...

"Padawan!" Adi Gallia barked, sensing my rage.

"Master... I... I don't know what came over me." I awkwardly mumbled, coming to my senses.

"You'll have to refine your mastery over your emotions, I suppose we can incorporate that into tomorrow's training." Master Gallia sighed. I concurred.

A quick glance at the time sent me into a frenzy.

'I should be starting my workout now!' I realized.

"Master, I'm late for my... erm... extra training, I've gotta head out now."

"And what exactly does that entail?" Master Gallia replied, now curious.

"I mean, I don't think I'd explain it very well... actually, why don't you tag along? I can show you!" I suggested with a rush of excitement. I hadn't been able to share this aspect of my life with anyone other than Ahsoka.

My teacher reluctantly agreed to accompany me to CoCo town, another well-known district of Coruscant. I lead the way, pushing through the masses of laborers that had assembled for dinner at the array of restaurants the district housed.

'Where'd she go?' I panicked, realizing I'd lost my master in the crowd.

Adi

CoCo town. Of all places, I never expected my apprentice to take me here. It was so familiar, yet so alien to me. It was... home. No, that wasn't proper. The temple was my home. Yet, I still found myself staring at the complex that I once lived in, so long ago. It was in ruins, a relic of a bygone era. My moment of introspection was shattered by a certain individual's stampede.

"There you are, master! I'm sorry I... went... too fast." my apprentice huffed while out of breath.

"It's alright. I was... reminiscing." I replied, my gaze unwavering.

"What's so interesting about that run-down place?" my padawan asked curiously.

"Zevon my apprentice, you're from Coruscant, correct? Well, we happen to have that in common." I answered blankly.

"Oh! Sorry..." he blurted with realization.

"Not to worry. This place no longer has any meaning to me." I stated in a flat tone. Any family I once had were long dead, the crumbling rubble in front of me being the only reminder of them. Even so, I could still hear my mother's last words to me as I left to begin my training at the temple.

'Make us proud.'

I never saw her again.

After my momentary detour, my padawan led me to a small plaza near the outskirts of CoCo town. He proceeded to march down a set of stairs that led us underground to a massive set of metal doors. The entrance was foreboding. If I didn't know better I would have thought it was a Sith lair. However, the large words "Durasteel Strength" etched into the surface made it clear that wasn't the case. My apprentice undid the latches and flung the doors wide open, evidently he'd done so many times prior. Then we were immediately stupefied by the booming, robotic voice of a droid.

"WEAKLING!" roared a burly HK-series gladiator droid directly into my padawan's face. As the source of the voice was a droid, I couldn't categorize its tone as angry or excited. Perhaps it was a bit of both. I kept my guard up until the metal behemoth enveloped my apprentice into a bone-crushing hug. It was then that I noticed its... modifications compared to a standard HK model. This individual was much larger in stature, and it sported four arms as compared to the usual four.

"Can... barely... breathe..." my padawan hissed as he choked for breath.

"That's because your core is weak." the metal mass monster mocked electronically.

"HK-74, not everyone is built like you." my apprentice retorted.

"A least you living organisms can make gains, weakling. I can only add parts." the hulking droid fired back.

"Padawan, why does the droid call you... weakling?" I inquired, utterly perplexed.

"He's a weak youngling. Hence, weakling." the four-armed machine declared smugly.

"His AI isn't very advanced." my apprentice whispered in my ear.

"I recently had my hearing upgraded!" the droid shouted, raising a hefty metal fist.

"Woah, woah woah! Easy, HK-74, we're just here for a standard workout. I have a guest, as you can see. Also, I'm no longer a youngling. This is Master Gallia, my teacher." explained my padawan. That last part was particularly boastful.

"One guest should be covered with your membership. Also, don't lie. Droids can tell." HK-74 uttered. The huge droid shuffled away, cackling to himself.

I continued to follow my apprentice's lead, for I wanted to understand what it was we were doing. Where were the large open areas to spar? Where were the mats and serene locations for meditation? All I could see was a vast array of strange looking machines and circular slabs and bars of metal.

"This is a bench press." my apprentice stated simply, pointing to a flat bench with a bar hanging over it. He picked up several plates of durasteel and slid them onto the bar, adding to a fair bit of weight. Then, planting his back firmly on the bench, he began to lower the bar to his chest at a slow pace. After holding the metal rod to his chest for a few seconds, he pushed upward yet again. Then he repeated the motion several more times before stopping. I just stood there, dumbfounded. Was this really training? It was so... mundane, and without purpose.

"Now you try!" he eagerly insisted. I stared at him with a blank expression for a moment.

"Jedi Masters don't bench press." I asserted.

I observed my apprentice throughout his full session, clocking in at just over two hours. It was impressive that he still had strength and stamina to spare after our training earlier, but the purpose of this... training still eluded me. Yes, it could probably increase one's endurance and explosive power, but the force was infinitely more useful in doing so. Regardless, he did several more repetitions of the "bench press" before moving on to a "chest press," "pulldown," and "lateral raises." Finally, he concluded with a hand-to-hand sparring bout with HK-74; I don't know how he survived, to be quite honest. After that, we returned to the temple and turned in for the night.

Zevon

I was just about to turn the lights off in my quarters when I heard a knock on my door. As I opened it, I was blindsided by the sudden appearance of a familiar togruta female.

"Hey! Zevon, can I come in for a bit?" she requested. It was normal for Ahsoka and I to talk and share our stories, but now things were different. Well, for me. She was still blissfully unaware.

"Sure." I grunted. She entered without a thought, failing to notice my gruff tone. Pretty normal for Ahsoka.

"So... I heard the news, everyone's talking about it! Congratulations, I know this is what you've always wanted." she exclaimed with a smile, though I and only I could tell that it was a forced one.

"Yeah, and Master Gallia at that. Probably the person you'd least expect. Sometimes people aren't who you think." I stated, annoyed. She missed the subtext. Ugh. I was tired and sore, couldn't she just leave me alone? She's about the last person I wanted to see right now.

"Yeah! That really surprised me. Anyways, I'm so happy for you!" she assured me.

"Really, are you Ahsoka?" I barked, raising my voice. I'd had enough of bottling my emotions.

"What? What's wrong, Zevon?" she questioned, worried and unaware.

"You recommended the council send me to the service corps!" I yelled with the big reveal. At this, Ahsoka's eyes widened in shock.

"No! Zevon, I... you don't understand..." she started.

"Out! Leave!" I spat, my voice seething with rage. Reluctantly, she did so. I sat by myself for a moment, my anger gradually dissipating. Slowly, regret began to replace it.

Ahsoka

What had I done? I had my reasons, but to go behind his back like that... he had a right to be angry. Still, a Jedi shouldn't give in to anger. Seeing him in a state like that... and knowing I was the cause... it ate at my insides.

'Zevon, I just want you to be safe.'