Star Wars Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy A Fan Novelization

Chapter Seven - Runaway Tram

"Alright Jaden, Rosh, Scenario: Spaceport, a cultist has a hostage and is using them for cover. He's almost to the nearest transport. You're twenty yards away. Whaddya do?" Kyle crossed his arms in silence. They were inside one of the many training rooms, this one with square platforms that rose out of the floor and one could never be sure of exactly when they would move. Kyle had instructed them to answer his made up scenarios -an exercise he long insisted on employing- as they crossed the room, jumping from platform to platform. He'd started them on opposite ends of the room facing each other.

Jaden had no time to apologize to Rosh. He hadn't been at breakfast that morning and only showed up to their training right as Kyle did. She felt extremely guilty for telling him to meet her on the roof, just to go and forget herself. She couldn't read his expression and decided to talk to him as soon as their session was over.

"Whaddya do?" Kyle asked again. "You've gotta be thinking as you move because out in the field, there will be moments when you have to make a snappy decision and you might actually be on the move."

"Quick question!" Rosh asked.

"No," said Kyle.

Rosh asked anyway. "What about our lightsabers?"

"You don't have 'em."

Rosh jumped shakily to the platform in front of him. "That's ridiculous! We're Jedi. I'd never forget my lightsaber." Jaden cringed at Rosh's tone and words. He was still very testy and had been getting more loose with his attitude around Kyle.

"But this time, you did," Kyle said, even his patience wearing thin. "You have to be ready for any situation, even the ones you swear you'll never find yourself in. Now, what do you do? And, you only have a blaster and the Force to rely on." Rosh and Jaden simultaneously jumped to the respective platforms in front of them.

"Shoot the hostage," Rosh answered. Jaden nearly lost her balance.

"What?" She and Kyle said in unison, they were so shocked, even the moving platforms seemed to stop for a moment.

"Yeah," Rosh said. "Takes 'em out of the equation. Go for an easy, non-fatal wound and the cultist doesn't get a chance to make it to the transport because now you'll have a clean shot at him."

Kyle rubbed his bearded chin. "Not what I would've expected, but creative. Though, we Jedi try our best not to harm innocent civilians. Jaden, how 'bout you?"

"Rely on the Force." She was nearly halfway across the room, practically side by side with Rosh. "Use it to trip him up, when he stumbles, he'll loosen his grip on the hostage. I can then pull them away to safety with the Force and take out the cultist with my blaster."

"Very interesting," Kyle observed. "What I'm doing is teaching you both about balance. Relying on the Force, yes, but also your weapons, skills, and intuition. It's something that's very hard to master and I know for a fact that you fail many times before you get it right, and even then, it'll never be perfect."

Rosh released an exasperated breath. "But as our master, isn't it your job to make sure we don't fail?"

Kyle raised his voice slightly, taking on a more stern tone. "My goal for you is for you to not fail one hundred percent of the time, but also not to succeed all the time. Failure is the best teacher. Luke once told me, 'Kyle, if you haven't failed at least three times in your first year of being a Jedi, then I would have done something wrong.' And I say the same to you. Your job isn't to fail all the time, or to be perfect. It's to find the balance between failure and success and do your best to stay in that place."

"But," Rosh said feebly, stopping to kneel for a short rest, a few platforms away from finishing. "I didn't come to this Academy to learn to fail."

"That's not what I'm saying, Rosh." Kyle's voice took on a gentler tone. "Don't be afraid of failure, Rosh. Fear is your worst enemy.