The Force did not always teach gently.
Kaelen learned that on the seventh night.
The Moment of Failure
The Temple's upper training spire was empty save for drifting motes of light and the quiet hum of energy shields. Kaelen stood alone at its center, Bastila's holocron hovering before him—closed, dormant.
This time, the exercise was his idea.
He had requested the chamber. Requested the isolation. Requested the test.
Obi-Wan had agreed… reluctantly.
"Remember," Obi-Wan had said at the door, "this is not about proving what you can do."
Kaelen had nodded.
"I know."
But even as the doors sealed, Kaelen knew the truth.
I want to know if I'm ready.
He activated the training program.
Holographic projections flared to life—dozens of simulated combatants, allies and enemies intermingled in chaotic motion. Their presences were faint echoes, but Kaelen felt them as if they were real.
Fear.Confusion.Urgency.
The familiar pull surged through him.
You can help them.
Kaelen inhaled.
He reached.
Not forcefully.Not arrogantly.
Just enough.
The effect was immediate.
The projections aligned. Allies moved with clarity. Enemy strikes slowed, mistimed. The simulated battlefield stabilized under Kaelen's influence like iron filings snapping into order.
His heart raced—not with fear, but exhilaration.
This is what it's for.
Then the program escalated.
More figures appeared. The emotional pressure multiplied—panic layered atop desperation. Kaelen's control wavered.
He pushed harder.
The Force resisted.
Pain flared behind his eyes.
"No," he whispered. "Stay with me—"
The projections flickered violently.
A warning chime sounded.
Then—
The chamber lights cut out.
The Force snapped back.
Kaelen cried out as the feedback hit him like a physical blow, throwing him to the floor. The holocron clattered away, skidding across the stone.
The chamber doors burst open.
Obi-Wan rushed in, followed by Anakin, Ahsoka—and HK-47, who had somehow beaten them all there.
Kaelen lay on his knees, gasping, vision blurred.
Obi-Wan knelt beside him instantly. "Kaelen. Look at me. Breathe."
"I—I tried to hold it," Kaelen rasped. "I almost had it."
Obi-Wan's expression was firm but not angry.
"Almost," he said quietly, "is where disasters begin."
Anakin frowned. "What happened?"
Ahsoka looked shaken. "The whole spire shook."
HK tilted his head, scanning.
"Diagnosis: Force backlash. Emotional overextension. Hubris-adjacent behavior detected."
Kaelen winced. "HK…"
"Clarification: This is not an insult. It is a cautionary assessment."
Obi-Wan helped Kaelen to his feet. "Training is over for tonight."
Kaelen didn't argue.
He couldn't.
The Past Returns
Kaelen didn't sleep.
Instead, the Force took him.
He stood ankle-deep in cold water.
A river.
Mandalore.
The memory slammed into him with clarity he had never allowed himself before.
His mother's voice—soft, steady, singing in a low, rhythmic cadence. Mando'a words woven into melody. A lullaby meant to calm fear.
His father's armor knelt on the bank nearby, visor turned outward, watching for threats that never came soon enough.
"Kaelen," his mother whispered, brushing damp hair from his forehead. "Listen to the river. Let it carry the noise away."
The memory shifted.
Fire.
Blaster bolts cutting through mist.
Shouts in a language he hadn't understood then but did now.
Death Watch.
His father standing alone, firing until the rifle overheated. His mother pushing Kaelen toward the water.
"Go," she had said—not shouting. Never shouting."Live."
The river had taken him.
In the vision, Kaelen reached out—
But this time, the scene didn't end.
It continued.
The river slowed.
The chaos faded.
The Force wrapped around him—not pushing, not pulling.
Holding.
A small figure appeared beside him in the water—Bastila.
Not as a warrior. Not as a general.
As a Jedi.
"You survived because you learned early what many never do," she said gently."Sometimes, survival means letting go."
Kaelen shook, tears burning behind his eyes.
"I didn't choose it."
"No," she agreed."But you chose what came after."
He looked up at her. "You said I remind you of an old friend."
She did not deny it.
"He was strong," Bastila said."Brilliant. Certain.""He believed carrying the galaxy on his shoulders was the same as saving it."
Kaelen's voice was barely a whisper. "And you loved him."
Bastila's eyes softened—not with pain, but acceptance.
"Yes."
The river flowed on.
"Learn from this, Kaelen Shan," she said."Power did not save you that day.""Release did."
The vision faded.
Consequences (and HK)
Kaelen woke in the Temple infirmary.
Anakin was asleep in a chair nearby. Ahsoka lay curled on the floor with a blanket. Obi-Wan stood by the window, hands clasped.
HK-47 stood rigidly at attention.
"Status Report: You attempted something ill-advised. It went poorly. I was not allowed to assist."
Kaelen sighed. "You would've made it worse."
"Defensive Objection: Unprovable."
Obi-Wan turned. "How do you feel?"
"Tired," Kaelen admitted. "And… clearer."
Obi-Wan nodded. "Good. Because there will be restrictions."
Kaelen straightened. "I understand."
"You will not practice Battle Meditation alone," Obi-Wan continued. "Not until you can disengage without resistance."
Kaelen bowed his head. "That's fair."
HK leaned forward.
"Clarification Request: Does this mean I am also restricted from encouraging excessive Force usage?"
Obi-Wan stared at him.
"…Yes."
"Disappointed Acknowledgment: Tragic."
Ahsoka stirred, blinking awake. "Did we almost lose the spire?"
Kaelen winced. "Maybe."
Anakin yawned. "Worth it?"
Kaelen shook his head.
"No."
That answer surprised all of them.
Even him.
The Lesson
Later, as Kaelen sat alone on the Temple balcony, Coruscant stretched endlessly below. The war would call again soon.
It always did.
But now, he understood something fundamental.
Leadership was not holding tighter.
It was knowing when to loosen your grip.
HK joined him, uninvited as always.
"Observation: You did not break."
Kaelen smiled faintly. "Not for lack of trying."
HK paused.
"Revised Assessment: You are becoming less like a weapon."
Kaelen glanced at him. "Is that bad?"
"No," HK said after a moment."Weapons are replaceable."
Kaelen exhaled, looking out at the lights.
The Force felt quieter now.
Not weaker.
Just… wiser.