Master Jedi - Black Rock
posted 5 May 2007, Saturday
"Is everything ready to go?" Luke asked Jina as they walked along one of the Perceptor's hallways.
"Everything's ready. The food is already loaded," Jina replied as she carried a small box filled with her lightsaber parts.
"Then I'll meet you at the ship," Luke turned abruptly away. He walked to the Admiral's quarters, but didn't find him there so he walked down to the Rogues private hangar. There was a lot of activity inside; the kind associated with a mission. Luke had no idea what the mission entailed, and he preferred it that way. The last thing he needed was to get sucked into another side-quest.
Over by the lead X-wing Admiral Antilles and Captain Dass shared a private conversation in the midst of the hustle and bustle. Dass was ready for takeoff in his pilot suit, but Wedge, while he tried to wear his uniform neatly, was clearly worn and beaten. The bags under his eyes revealed the sad truth. Luke walked over and butted in trying to quickly get in his good byes. "Excuse me gentlemen."
Before Luke could finish speaking Dass sprung to attention and saluted, "Sir!"
"You outrank me Captain. I'm not an Admiral anymore." Luke wagged his head.
"We were just going over some last minute details. What have you been up to?" Wedge asked.
"Well, I'm leaving. It's been almost a month and I have other things to get to." Luke replied.
"Sir. It was an honor flying with you... And I don't care if you aren't an Admiral. I'm still going to salute you!" Dass smiled then firmly shook Luke's hand.
"It was fun! Let's do it again sometime... but not too soon." Luke grinned then put his hand on Wedge's shoulder signaling that he wanted a private chat. Both of them strolled over to the door away from the commotion. Luke waved a few more good byes in the process. "It was damn good to see you again, Luke." Wedge confessed as he leaned up against the wall beside the door's control panel.
"You too Wedge, but you need to get some rest. You look like a walking corpse."
Wedge laughed at the thought, "I wish I could. I've only managed a couple hours a night this past week in preparation for this mission. We've had too many screw ups and we can't afford one this time. The Empire has something big going on in the Mimban system and we need to find out what."
"I wouldn't worry. You have some great pilots out there."
"Great doesn't seem to cut it these days. We need a legend... we need you!"
Luke shook his head, "I can only do so much Wedge."
"Yeah, running around with that young girl!"
"Hey!" Luke offered a shocked look. "She's my student. Soon you'll be begging her to do missions!"
"I hope so! Now get the hell outta here before I throw you in an X-wing!" Wedge and Luke came together in a big hug then went their separate ways once again. Luke was really happy to have spent time with his old friend, and hoped that soon he would be able to spend more. After all, Jina was coming along very well and soon it would be time to unleash her on the galaxy.
Jina piloted the ship back to Tatooine while Luke stayed in the back meditating. The trip was longer and quieter than usual, but Jina hardly noticed as she entertained herself at the controls wondering when Luke was going to come check on her. He didn't, and to her surprise she had brought them into orbit without the ever vigilant eyes of her master hovering over her.
For a few minutes Jina contemplated taking the ship down, but atmosphere re-entry was something she still struggled with. Her hand brushed the controls a few times, but her lack of confidence eventually won out forcing her to the back of the ship in search of Luke. Stocked with supply crates the freighter was a maze of tight fitting spaces Jina had to dredge through. "Luke!" Jina repeatedly called to no reply. Eventually, after squeezing between more crates than she cared to, she found him at the back sitting behind a food crate in deep meditation. "Luke!" she yelled one more time as she grabbed him by the shoulder and shook him.
"Sorry... what?" Luke slowly opened his eyes.
"We're in orbit already..."
Luke stretched his neck then began laughing, "You're afraid to land the ship? I thought you wanted to fly by yourself?"
"Yeah, but I don't want to crash either," Jina rolled her eyes hating the fact that Luke could so easily sense her feelings. I need to block him, Jina frustrated.
Luke motioned for Jina to go ahead, "Okay. I'll be up there in a minute. Just let me stretch my legs first."
With Luke next to her Jina finally felt comfortable enough to bring the ship down. It was a bumpy ride which left them a long way from their usual entry location. "That was fun!" Mocked Luke as he checked to make sure they hadn't taken any serious damage.
"This is only my second time bringing the ship down. Maybe if you would have let me practice mo--"
"Wait! Shhh!" Luke sharply interrupted. There's something nearby, Luke thought as he closed his eyes and focused on the source of the emanating Force energy. He couldn't believe how he had never sensed such a strong Force presence before. "Give me the controls. I need to check something."
"What is it?" Jina looked confused.
"You don't sense that?
Jina gathered her thoughts away from flying and focused, closing her eyes. She turned her head slightly to the left then began to nod in agreement. "That's a strong presence."
"Yeah. I don't understand how we never felt it before."
"Maybe because we weren't looking for it?" Jina shrugged wondering what type of adventure they were heading into.
Five miles from where they first came down were the remains of a rock outcropping that had seen enough sand and wind to shrink it down to a small patch barely one-hundred feet across. Like the fingers on a hand the long rock formations reached up from the ground as if trying not to be completely swallowed by the desert. Luke brought the ship down on what looked like the most stable part of the area then turned to his apprentice, "Stay here while I go check this out. Keep the engine running, and if a storm comes up get out of here until it dies down again... Got it?" Jina silently nodded hiding her displeasure, but Luke didn't notice as he rushed, almost desperately, out the door.
Pulling his hood down over his face to block the wind that was picking up, Luke quickly chased after the source of the incredible power he was feeling. He didn't know why, but the need to discover the source of this Force energy was building uncontrollably inside him - almost pulling him in. In between two of the pillars was a path into the formation where in the center of what appeared to be a man-made pedestal lay a giant boulder. The area looked untouched for what could have been years, and right beneath that boulder was the source. Luke bit his lip as he tried to practice some self control, but the pull of whatever was beneath him was too strong. Raising his hands in front of him, Luke slowly raised the boulder from the ground and placed it out of the way revealing a dark hole leading straight down and what appeared to be the remains of a ladder. He didn't bother to wait, jumping right in landing hard at the bottom; fifteen feet down. The cave continued forward a ways then turned right, but now a strange purple glow radiated from whatever was just around the corner. Luke ran his hand down his face trying to make sense of the madness that had come over him, but his feet kept moving forward. As he turned the corner he entered a small room and in the center a small, black, glowing rock about a foot across.
This is amazing, thought Luke as he circled the radiating mass trying to fight the incredible pull it had on him. "That is a Black Rock." said a familiar voice from the cave's entrance.
"Why is it pulling me in like this?" Replied Luke without taking his eyes off the stone knowing it was Yoda.
"The effect will wear off in a little while. No one knows why it has this effect, but get used to it, you will." Yoda entered the cave and stood opposite Luke.
"So you know what this is? You've seen it before?"
Yoda closed his eyes and nodded slowly, thinking back to a time long past. "This rock, used was it by the Jedi of old to aid in their training, but recommended it was not. Dangerous this substance is, for rock it is not. Look closer." Luke bent down to inspect the rock more closely and immediately noticed that it had a cellular structure, but it felt as hard as rock. As soon as he removed his hand he noticed blood streaming down his nose and quickly moved to stop the bleeding. "Alive The Black Rock is. It is a living organism that collects and radiates concentrated Force energy. So strong it is, that the body it can easily damage."
"How did you anyone train near this thing if it's so strong?" Luke said with a nose stuffed with a rag from his utility belt.
"You are a trained Jedi, so withstand its effects you can, but even you will be hurt if too long you spend near it. Hoped had I that you would not have to use this stone, but we are almost out of time."
"So you guys knew about this place and didn't tell me?"
"Tell you we were when the time was right, but that does not matter now. Your sister has grown strong, and face her you will... soon." Yoda closed his eyes again.
"I know. I've seen it. But I'm not worried about Leia. I can handle her."
"Powerful she has become with the dark side! Underestimate her you should not! However, she is not the only one you must face. Many enemies await you... lurking in the darkness. Prepared you must be!"
Luke sat down near the entrance to the room as far away from the black rock as possible. The allure it had finally wore off, and he was starting to feel normal again. "Are you ever going to tell me what this darkness you keep talking about is? You keep talking about it so you might as well just say it!"
Yoda sighed. "Too much, have I said already. We Force beings must not interfere too much. Disturb the flow of the Force we can... and much worse. That is why we stay away. That is why your father..."
Luke nodded sadly as he thought about his father, understanding and yet hating the fact that he couldn't see him. "I understand... Thank you, Master."
"Luke! There is something else," Yoda walked up to him. "Jina. Take her, you must to the cave on Dagobah. The Dark Side she must experience to prepare for her trial."
Luke stood up and brushed himself off as he nodded to confirm Yoda's order. "You know... Maybe if Leia had prepared for her trial all of this wouldn't have happened."
"Hope there is, for lost she is not. To the edge of the Dark Side she has gone, but she has not fallen. Only one chance you have to bring her back. Be prepared for that day."
After climbing out of the cave and returning the boulder to its spot, Luke returned to Jina who was impatiently waiting for him in the ship. "Come on, let's go," he ordered as soon as he entered the cockpit.
Jina looked at him and insulted him with her eyes before noticing the dry blood around his nose. "You're bleeding. What happened down there? What did you find?"
"I'm alright. Nothing happened," said Luke as he wiped his nose. "I just found my new training spot for the next few months."
"Am I going to train there too?" Jina asked, knowing he must have found something good.
"I don't know. Maybe one day you'll train here, but you've still got a long way to go before then."
To Be Continued...
"Everything's ready. The food is already loaded," Jina replied as she carried a small box filled with her lightsaber parts.
"Then I'll meet you at the ship," Luke turned abruptly away. He walked to the Admiral's quarters, but didn't find him there so he walked down to the Rogues private hangar. There was a lot of activity inside; the kind associated with a mission. Luke had no idea what the mission entailed, and he preferred it that way. The last thing he needed was to get sucked into another side-quest.
Over by the lead X-wing Admiral Antilles and Captain Dass shared a private conversation in the midst of the hustle and bustle. Dass was ready for takeoff in his pilot suit, but Wedge, while he tried to wear his uniform neatly, was clearly worn and beaten. The bags under his eyes revealed the sad truth. Luke walked over and butted in trying to quickly get in his good byes. "Excuse me gentlemen."
Before Luke could finish speaking Dass sprung to attention and saluted, "Sir!"
"You outrank me Captain. I'm not an Admiral anymore." Luke wagged his head.
"We were just going over some last minute details. What have you been up to?" Wedge asked.
"Well, I'm leaving. It's been almost a month and I have other things to get to." Luke replied.
"Sir. It was an honor flying with you... And I don't care if you aren't an Admiral. I'm still going to salute you!" Dass smiled then firmly shook Luke's hand.
"It was fun! Let's do it again sometime... but not too soon." Luke grinned then put his hand on Wedge's shoulder signaling that he wanted a private chat. Both of them strolled over to the door away from the commotion. Luke waved a few more good byes in the process. "It was damn good to see you again, Luke." Wedge confessed as he leaned up against the wall beside the door's control panel.
"You too Wedge, but you need to get some rest. You look like a walking corpse."
Wedge laughed at the thought, "I wish I could. I've only managed a couple hours a night this past week in preparation for this mission. We've had too many screw ups and we can't afford one this time. The Empire has something big going on in the Mimban system and we need to find out what."
"I wouldn't worry. You have some great pilots out there."
"Great doesn't seem to cut it these days. We need a legend... we need you!"
Luke shook his head, "I can only do so much Wedge."
"Yeah, running around with that young girl!"
"Hey!" Luke offered a shocked look. "She's my student. Soon you'll be begging her to do missions!"
"I hope so! Now get the hell outta here before I throw you in an X-wing!" Wedge and Luke came together in a big hug then went their separate ways once again. Luke was really happy to have spent time with his old friend, and hoped that soon he would be able to spend more. After all, Jina was coming along very well and soon it would be time to unleash her on the galaxy.
Jina piloted the ship back to Tatooine while Luke stayed in the back meditating. The trip was longer and quieter than usual, but Jina hardly noticed as she entertained herself at the controls wondering when Luke was going to come check on her. He didn't, and to her surprise she had brought them into orbit without the ever vigilant eyes of her master hovering over her.
For a few minutes Jina contemplated taking the ship down, but atmosphere re-entry was something she still struggled with. Her hand brushed the controls a few times, but her lack of confidence eventually won out forcing her to the back of the ship in search of Luke. Stocked with supply crates the freighter was a maze of tight fitting spaces Jina had to dredge through. "Luke!" Jina repeatedly called to no reply. Eventually, after squeezing between more crates than she cared to, she found him at the back sitting behind a food crate in deep meditation. "Luke!" she yelled one more time as she grabbed him by the shoulder and shook him.
"Sorry... what?" Luke slowly opened his eyes.
"We're in orbit already..."
Luke stretched his neck then began laughing, "You're afraid to land the ship? I thought you wanted to fly by yourself?"
"Yeah, but I don't want to crash either," Jina rolled her eyes hating the fact that Luke could so easily sense her feelings. I need to block him, Jina frustrated.
Luke motioned for Jina to go ahead, "Okay. I'll be up there in a minute. Just let me stretch my legs first."
With Luke next to her Jina finally felt comfortable enough to bring the ship down. It was a bumpy ride which left them a long way from their usual entry location. "That was fun!" Mocked Luke as he checked to make sure they hadn't taken any serious damage.
"This is only my second time bringing the ship down. Maybe if you would have let me practice mo--"
"Wait! Shhh!" Luke sharply interrupted. There's something nearby, Luke thought as he closed his eyes and focused on the source of the emanating Force energy. He couldn't believe how he had never sensed such a strong Force presence before. "Give me the controls. I need to check something."
"What is it?" Jina looked confused.
"You don't sense that?
Jina gathered her thoughts away from flying and focused, closing her eyes. She turned her head slightly to the left then began to nod in agreement. "That's a strong presence."
"Yeah. I don't understand how we never felt it before."
"Maybe because we weren't looking for it?" Jina shrugged wondering what type of adventure they were heading into.
Five miles from where they first came down were the remains of a rock outcropping that had seen enough sand and wind to shrink it down to a small patch barely one-hundred feet across. Like the fingers on a hand the long rock formations reached up from the ground as if trying not to be completely swallowed by the desert. Luke brought the ship down on what looked like the most stable part of the area then turned to his apprentice, "Stay here while I go check this out. Keep the engine running, and if a storm comes up get out of here until it dies down again... Got it?" Jina silently nodded hiding her displeasure, but Luke didn't notice as he rushed, almost desperately, out the door.
Pulling his hood down over his face to block the wind that was picking up, Luke quickly chased after the source of the incredible power he was feeling. He didn't know why, but the need to discover the source of this Force energy was building uncontrollably inside him - almost pulling him in. In between two of the pillars was a path into the formation where in the center of what appeared to be a man-made pedestal lay a giant boulder. The area looked untouched for what could have been years, and right beneath that boulder was the source. Luke bit his lip as he tried to practice some self control, but the pull of whatever was beneath him was too strong. Raising his hands in front of him, Luke slowly raised the boulder from the ground and placed it out of the way revealing a dark hole leading straight down and what appeared to be the remains of a ladder. He didn't bother to wait, jumping right in landing hard at the bottom; fifteen feet down. The cave continued forward a ways then turned right, but now a strange purple glow radiated from whatever was just around the corner. Luke ran his hand down his face trying to make sense of the madness that had come over him, but his feet kept moving forward. As he turned the corner he entered a small room and in the center a small, black, glowing rock about a foot across.
This is amazing, thought Luke as he circled the radiating mass trying to fight the incredible pull it had on him. "That is a Black Rock." said a familiar voice from the cave's entrance.
"Why is it pulling me in like this?" Replied Luke without taking his eyes off the stone knowing it was Yoda.
"The effect will wear off in a little while. No one knows why it has this effect, but get used to it, you will." Yoda entered the cave and stood opposite Luke.
"So you know what this is? You've seen it before?"
Yoda closed his eyes and nodded slowly, thinking back to a time long past. "This rock, used was it by the Jedi of old to aid in their training, but recommended it was not. Dangerous this substance is, for rock it is not. Look closer." Luke bent down to inspect the rock more closely and immediately noticed that it had a cellular structure, but it felt as hard as rock. As soon as he removed his hand he noticed blood streaming down his nose and quickly moved to stop the bleeding. "Alive The Black Rock is. It is a living organism that collects and radiates concentrated Force energy. So strong it is, that the body it can easily damage."
"How did you anyone train near this thing if it's so strong?" Luke said with a nose stuffed with a rag from his utility belt.
"You are a trained Jedi, so withstand its effects you can, but even you will be hurt if too long you spend near it. Hoped had I that you would not have to use this stone, but we are almost out of time."
"So you guys knew about this place and didn't tell me?"
"Tell you we were when the time was right, but that does not matter now. Your sister has grown strong, and face her you will... soon." Yoda closed his eyes again.
"I know. I've seen it. But I'm not worried about Leia. I can handle her."
"Powerful she has become with the dark side! Underestimate her you should not! However, she is not the only one you must face. Many enemies await you... lurking in the darkness. Prepared you must be!"
Luke sat down near the entrance to the room as far away from the black rock as possible. The allure it had finally wore off, and he was starting to feel normal again. "Are you ever going to tell me what this darkness you keep talking about is? You keep talking about it so you might as well just say it!"
Yoda sighed. "Too much, have I said already. We Force beings must not interfere too much. Disturb the flow of the Force we can... and much worse. That is why we stay away. That is why your father..."
Luke nodded sadly as he thought about his father, understanding and yet hating the fact that he couldn't see him. "I understand... Thank you, Master."
"Luke! There is something else," Yoda walked up to him. "Jina. Take her, you must to the cave on Dagobah. The Dark Side she must experience to prepare for her trial."
Luke stood up and brushed himself off as he nodded to confirm Yoda's order. "You know... Maybe if Leia had prepared for her trial all of this wouldn't have happened."
"Hope there is, for lost she is not. To the edge of the Dark Side she has gone, but she has not fallen. Only one chance you have to bring her back. Be prepared for that day."
After climbing out of the cave and returning the boulder to its spot, Luke returned to Jina who was impatiently waiting for him in the ship. "Come on, let's go," he ordered as soon as he entered the cockpit.
Jina looked at him and insulted him with her eyes before noticing the dry blood around his nose. "You're bleeding. What happened down there? What did you find?"
"I'm alright. Nothing happened," said Luke as he wiped his nose. "I just found my new training spot for the next few months."
"Am I going to train there too?" Jina asked, knowing he must have found something good.
"I don't know. Maybe one day you'll train here, but you've still got a long way to go before then."
To Be Continued...
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