“Yes… Master Jade”

Tobal said respectfully. learn to read… and… fight? I hope I will not be a bumbling fool with the reading. Surly I will not embarrass myself with the fighting either…

“Dak and Vyktor said that other … apprentices… follow their masters around all the time. I suppose I should do that as well. What had you planned for this day? Is it anything that you may need help with?”

Jadey yawns and sits down at a table in the library.

"Go to the bookshelve and grab one of those tomes that you see them reading. Then bring it here and sit down.

Since we are both awake, we may as well get an early start."

He brings her one of the ancient tomes, and she opens it after taking it from him.

"Now focus on force and feel the words speak to you."

Feel the words speak to me? What, are they alive?

Tobal frowned, this didn’t seem to be the correct way to learn to read. But, he was the one who was ignorant in such things, and he was the one who needed to learn. If this was how they learned to read, then so be it.

Scrunching up his eyes, Tobal forced himself to stare at the black lettering that covered the pages in the enormous book.

Slowly but surly, he began to feel the difference between the letters, and the surrounding paper.

Then it all blurred. The paper, the book, and Master jade all became one big blur. Tobal stumbled back, grasping about for something to steady himself. His fingertips caught the tip of the book before he fell backwards.

The sharp contact with the ground jolted his brain, and the fog lifted from his vision.

Tobal looked questioningly at Master Jade. What had happened. His heart pounded, and he suspected he had had a large amount of blood rush to the brain from the concentration. Fool, you probably did it all wrong…

Jadey chuckles softly and helps Tobal up.

"I know what you were thinking. No, I didnt read your thoughts, but your expression. You think this is silly. But let me explain.

When I say "Feel the words", I mean "Feel the meaning behind the words." It is one thing to read the words and understand them, but it is another to feel in your heart and soul what they really mean to a person.

Understand? Now try this again, but this time, try not doing what you just did. Close your eyes softly and feel the Force flow within you, telling you in your heart what the words say."

Tobal frowned. Feel the force… She must think me more advanced than I am…

Vyktor said the force was a energy field that surrounded everyone, and everything. Ok… and some people could make this field do their bidding. Dak had said the Force was intelligent as well..

So he was to try communicate with the force, and make it speak to him the meaning of the words…

What made him so special? What would make this all powerful energy field speak especially to him, one man out of the trillions that Vyktor said lived in the galaxy.

Nothing, that he was sure of, nothing.

Vyktor had mentioned to him that each letter meant something, and when combined, the formed words. The words that you spoke. Vyktor said with a little work he could learn this language… little work… He had been too hasty. If he asked nicely, Vyktor would probably have shown him what computer would assist him in his learning.

“Master Jade, I’m sorry, but I don’t think I can do this. I little control over this “force”, certainly not enough to make the force respect me enough to show me what little letters mean. I will try if you insist, but I feel that it will not work. Perhaps if we wait on the reading part of my training, unless it is absolutely necessary.”

Jadey nods in understanding.

"Too difficult right now? I understand. I have a better idea to help you along, but we will change tactics first.

I want you to meditate. This is one way you can get to know the Force when it flows inside you. This is how you can get the Force to do what you want. Once you get to know it, and it you, you can do anything."

Jadey raises her left hand, palm up, and uses the Force to call her black onyx hilted double bladed lightsaber to her from a nearby table. Closing her hand around, she looks at Tobal, then sends it back.

"See what I mean? But u will learn that later. Now, we meditate."

“Meditate? Please, show me”

Tobal sat down in front of Master Jade, his hands in his lap like hers.

Will this be similar to … last time … oh, I hope not, I truly hope not…

The memory of the incident on his home planet flashed through Tobal’s head, causing him to shudder slightly.

All those people… in pain…

Shaking his head, Tobal looked back at Master Jade, and began to emulate her.

Jadey closes her eyes and speaks softly.

"Close your eyes and use your other senses. Hearing, smell, touch, telepathy, telekenesis. Sense everything around you. The Force is in everything, its everywhere we are. Just listen to what is around you, your own breathing, and feel the power within you.

For Jedi, some need to think of a happy moment to help them along. For Sith, they had to think of a painful moment in their pasts to help them. I know both accounts, for I used to be a Jedi Master and a Sith Disciple before finally becoming a Shadow Jedi Knight.

Now, you may use either the Jedi method, or the Sith method. Sometimes, I still use both methods.

Now, try it and see what happens."

Jadey closes her eyes more firmly and begins to meditate, keeping a telepathic eye on Tobal while doing so.

Think of a happy moment… a happy moment…

Tobal closed his eyes, and began to concentrate, happy moment, happy moment, happy moment… He thought of his mother, his sister, his father, his planet, and his dog…

But none brought out a happy thought, for each memory finished with a sorrowful note. Tobal tried harder, forcing himself to concentrate. But every happy memory ended in a bitterly sad note. He had fled his planet, he would never see his family.

A light breeze touched his cheek, blew his hair. Before he realized what had happened, his mind traveled back, far back, to his home planet. Sitting by the stream that ran through the south pasture of the village, sleeping…

His ears strained for the sound of water, even though he knew their was none.

It was a shadowy memory, for he knew that it too ended sadly. But, while it had happened, it was the happiest moment of his life.

His father had come, and told him that he would be home now, not going off the planet again. His father was the only one who had ever left their planet in his village, and Tobal was so proud of him. But he was never there, what good was a father if he was never there…

The memory seemed so real now, he could almost hear his father’s voice…

Shadows were cast over the sun, and both had gone in to be sheltered from the rain.

Two days later, while hunting… the cougar… the shredded flesh of his father… then, he had killed the cougar.
Without moving, he had killed. The blood, splattered over all the near by forest… the cougar pelt, no longer good for anything, damaged beyond repair.

His father, almost dead, his back broken.

He had carried his father home…

The memory wasreal, Tobal could feel the blood from his father on his hands.

“Nemisis”

The last word his father had spoken, before he died. A random thought, pulled out at the end. His father, the off world scientist.

So bitter, so cruel. All his memories began in joy, and ended in sorrow. Overtime, Tobal had learned never to trust anything, for it always stabbed you in the back. Trusting a person was something he was forcing himself to learn again.

Tobal could see the body of his father lying on the bed, dead. He could see himself, kneeling next to the bed, shoulders heaving. It was a memory then, it truly was a memory.


Tobal opened his eyes, he felt different. Something had changed during his memory, something was… larger… It was the same “largeness” that he had felt around the village healer, the same “largeness” he had felt after Vyktor said he had used the force to locate Master Fearsons.

Glancing at Master Jade, Tobal tried to make out if the large feeling was coming from her.

Jadey had been absently looking down at her engagement ring, given her by Master Fearsons. Remembering how upset she was when she heard of his disappearence, she pulls the ring off and drops it into a hidden pocket in her clothes.

Keeping her head lowered, her newest and only apprentice could barely see a blood red tear slowly making its way down her left cheek, the crimson tear a sign that she is truely saddened. Glancing up and seeing Tobal looking at her curiously, she quickly wipes the tear away.

Standing, she walks to a darkened window and watches the moon, remembering her past, thinking that maybe she is destined to spend her life alone.

Shaking her head, she turns back to her apprentice, her voice soft, saddness still in her eyes.

"Do you wish to continue? Or would you rather sleep?"