[Solved] (NJO) Lesson I: The Force

Please read chapter on Lesson I: The Force in the The Jedi Path. Accompanying notes from Instructor Nokori Imani follow.

On the Dark Side:

"As Master Sabla-Mandibu wrote, the Dark Side is a corruption of the light side. It is a destructive aspect that desecrates balance, health, and flourishing. They are not two equal natures—the light side is love, compassion, service, wisdom, and peace. The dark side is fear, corruption, greed, wrath, selfishness, and destruction. It promises joy, but leaves you empty and alone.

However, there are things—good things—that past Jedi have misguidedly attributed to the Dark Side. Love, loyalty, and attachment are not dangers in and of themselves; they are, as with all things, opportunities to make the right choice or the wrong one. They might reveal darkness within us (as Kanan Jarrus recorded the creature called the Bendu once saying, 'Nothing can change you except your own choices,') but they may also make us stronger and more in tune with the balance of the Force. Love is, in many ways, essential to the Living Force. 

As an example: my marriage to Asa is a source of perspective, strength, and growth. It has made me a better Jedi. Someday, if I do not die first, I will lose him. If my reaction to losing him would be to lose myself to darkness, then it is not the love that endangers me, but my relationship to it. To having my marriage, as if it is a thing I possess, that I should resent losing. It is not. It is, like all other things, a gift. One I am meant to steward for a time, enjoy, respect and nurture, and one day give up."

On the Living Force:

"Our place in the Living Force is this: we are equal to all other things, and uniquely blessed to serve them. This must produce humility in the Jedi. Let meditating on this—this universal brotherhood, subject to all, though slave to none—ward away arrogance; the Jedi's fatal flaw and our greatest enemy. Pride has destroyed more Jedi than the Sith ever have. We must be mindful of the danger we are to ourselves, constantly reminding ourselves of our place and our limited understanding, being slow to make judgements, and quick to ask questions. The Jedi do not know everything."

Nokori Imani, Jedi Consular, kicked off her boots and flung herself down onto the rough pile of carpets. She had taken to calling the makeshift bed her and Asa's 'nest.' He gave her an odd look everytime she did this. The difference in their vernacular was a common theme in their marriage—her having grown up in a rural village, and he being raised on cargo freighters—but, as with most things in marriage, as the years went on, their words started seeping into the other's everyday language. Asa became more prone to bouts of poetic musing. Noko's jokes got better.

Training new Jedi was endless, exhausting work. The Initiates were making incredible progress, but each one had their own special struggles, and it was difficult to give each of them as much time as she wanted. She was grateful for the other teachers, even if sometimes their methods were more stressful than a source of confidence. Still, she was thankful they were there. Not just Jun and Aemos, but Ma-Riki and Lynus too. And Asa, of course.

She lay there, forearm over her face to block out the light, until Asa startled her awake a few hours later. Her husband cringed, trying to muffle the old wooden door too late.

"My bad."

Noko pushed her hair back out of her face, drowsily waving the apology away.

"Don't worry. I've missed you. Do you have any more of those savory rolls that Lynus made?"

Asa grinned. "Did you miss me, or did you miss the rolls?"

"I can do both."

He flapped open the bag hanging around his shoulder and reached in to retrieve a slightly-stale pocket of wasi bread.

He said "Oop," as the treat slipped out of his hands and flew across the room into Noko's waiting grasp. She bit into the flaky crust, muttering gratefully.

Asa put his hands on his hips.

"You allowed to use the Force like that?"

"Of course I am. It is my ally. In all things."

Shaking his head, Asa washed his hands and face in a basin along the wall and then lowered himself beside her, letting out the day's work with a sigh. "You look beat."

"So do you," she deflected. Her snack had energized her, now she could see the shadows beneath his eyes. "Do you have any news?"

"Oh, I'm still just tryin' to get everything set up. The Jawas are helpin', but they kinda just make more work when they keep trying to snatch the nicest parts they can find."

"Should I speak to them?"

"Nah, I can handle it. C'mon, you think I can't handle it?"

"I was going to use my 'Jedi Mystique.'"

Asa raised an eyebrow. "I don't think putting up your hood is gonna scare 'em. They wear hoods too, riverflow. Never take 'em off, actually."

Nokori chuckled. It faded off into a long silence while she stared at the ceiling, fending off the fears that readily besieged her mind anytime she had a few moments of quiet. The horizon summoned her from the balcony door, and she ventured outside into the cold night.

The storms were quiet, distant. She could see purple sky, the scarlet Rift, and Ator Hollos' twin moons floating overhead. The air was cold, but layering up never came to mind.

Her occupied mind was obvious to Asa. He had known her since before the Jedi found her, he had lived with her on Yavin IV while she trained under Skywalker, and traveled with her in the years since. He knew that he could not perfectly understand everything that called for her attention, everything she valued, everything she feared. But he knew who she was, and he knew sometimes the best help he could be was as a simple listening ear.

"Credit for your thoughts," he said quietly, joining her on the stone parapet.

She stared determinedly off into the dark valley for some time before answering. Her thoughts needed a moment to coalesce.

"I'm ill-suited for this task. It is a johaja—beyond my skill."

"It's a lot, that's for sure. I'm proud of you, though. You're killing it, you know that, don't you?"

"No," she shook her head. "I don't. You know what's at stake. These initiates will be the Jedi of the coming age. Asa, I am responsible for stewarding the soul of the Jedi."

"Not by yourself."

"Well, sometimes I wish I was. Jun and Aemos get it wrong as often as not."

She stopped herself, regretting the spoken thought. Asa smiled.

She backtracked, "that's not true. I'm grateful for them. But Aemos is no more experienced than I am. And Jun, while he has a wealth of experience, struggles to accept even the title of Jedi. I have been a Jedi for only four years. The Jedi teachers of old had a lifetime of training to draw from. While I teach, I am still a student myself."

Asa grinned aside at her, and she heard what it was she'd said that provoked the smile.

"I know what you're going to say."

"What? Just that that makes you the perfect teacher?"

"Yes, yes," she replied, a little exasperated. "I . . . I hear you."

"And even before you became a Jedi, you were living a life of peace and humility, riverflow. Do you ever think that maybe Skywalker knew what he was doing when he sent you three? He didn't expect you guys to be perfect teachers. I'd bet my life he wanted you all to keep learning, too."

"It is possible," she said doubtfully. Why not entrust the training only to masters who were up to the task? "I wish he had said so. I do feel . . . overwhelmed."

He leaned closer, reassuring warmth in his voice. "Hey, what happened to trusting the Force? All is as the Force wills it, yeah?" His smile faded, his tone was serious. "You can't be the Force, Noko. Don't try."

She stared at him, thinking. He went on.

". . . and the burden isn't all on you. You can only do your best, and you do, everyday. I see it, you know."

She calmed, considering the truth in his words. It was true. The Force was ultimately responsible for the fate of the Jedi, not her. How arrogant, to assume her weakness threatened the order itself. It didn't unburden her from the wellbeing of the students, but in the grand picture, it reminded her of her place. 

"I . . . " She nodded. "You're right. Thank you, Asa."

"Anytime," he nodded. "You think Jun or Aemos is being kept up like this too? Think I should go give them this same talk?"

Noko shot him a wry smile. "I think you would find them less welcoming than I."

"Oh, I know that's for sure."

Asa reached for the Jedi Counselor and wrapped her in his arms. She welcomed the gesture. For a time, they stood watching the otherworldly cauldron of colors dancing in the sky above. Below, the forest was dense and black, creeping up on the edges of the glassy lake, a mirror reflecting the heavens.

"You should get some sleep. Hell, I should get some sleep. Lots to do tomorrow."

It was true. They'd pay for these moments, restful as they were, with a bleary morning.

They returned inside and snuffed out the lamps, lowered themselves onto their mats. 

Asa's expression turned stony in the dark.

"Can you feel Kyle?" He asked.

Noko's brows knit together. "No. He's far away, I think. But he is alive. We would have felt it in the Force if he wasn't."

"He's a good man. A friend. Always been kind to me, even when I was the odd man out," Asa said, almost to himself. "I made progress today with the Jawas, we're gonna build this way to navigate the planet. Just need more power and scrap."

"The Initiates can help. Some of them are strong enough now that I'd feel alright sending them out. With a guide, at least."

"Did Aemos make any progress with the old observatory?"

"Yes," Noko nodded, staring up at the ceiling, disciplining her mind to let these concepts brush over the surface and not latch on. She needed to sleep, the problems would be there in the morning. "He told us he's close to finding a way to chart the passage of storms. The Orrery can map out the planet's magnetism. He only has to fix it."

"That's good. That's good. We're gonna find him."

Asa said it like a promise. Not to Noko, but to himself.

She smiled fondly at him, though he couldn't see it. As bittersweet as the situation was, his determination couldn't be matched by any Jedi she knew.

"Goodnight, riverflow."

"Goodnight, love."