Kaelen learned quickly that restraint was harder than power.
It was one thing to have strength in the Force — to feel it rush eagerly at the slightest hint of danger or conflict. It was another thing entirely to let it remain still, like water held behind a dam.
That lesson defined the days that followed.
The Cost of Control
The secondary training hall was quieter than the main sparring chambers, lit by soft white panels embedded high in the walls. Kaelen stood at its center, eyes closed, Bastila's words echoing in his thoughts.
Touch nothing. Listen.
Around him, half a dozen training remotes hovered, their emitters glowing faintly.
Obi-Wan watched from the perimeter, hands folded inside his sleeves. Anakin leaned against a pillar nearby, arms crossed, Ahsoka sitting cross-legged beside him with visible impatience. HK-47 stood behind them all, scanning the room like he expected an assassination attempt at any moment.
"Begin when ready," Obi-Wan said calmly.
Kaelen inhaled.
The remotes activated at once, firing low-power stun bolts in unpredictable patterns. Kaelen ignited his purple blade and moved — not rushing, not pressing forward, but letting the rhythm come to him.
Deflect.Step.Turn.
He felt the Force urging him to reach, to extend his awareness beyond himself and subtly adjust the remotes' timing, their trajectories. It would be easy. Almost instinctive.
He refused.
A bolt clipped his shoulder. Another struck his thigh, sending a sharp jolt through his muscles.
Anakin winced. "You know, you can use the Force, right?"
Kaelen gritted his teeth and kept moving.
Obi-Wan raised an eyebrow but said nothing.
Kaelen redirected another bolt, then another — slower now, movements less fluid. Sweat beaded at his temples.
A final shot struck his saber hilt, knocking it from his hand.
The remotes powered down.
Kaelen stood there, breathing hard, chest tight with frustration.
Anakin straightened. "You okay?"
Kaelen nodded reluctantly. "Yeah."
Ahsoka tilted her head. "Why didn't you do the thing?"
Kaelen looked at her. "Because I wanted to see what happens when I don't."
Obi-Wan stepped forward. "And?"
Kaelen thought for a moment. "I lose."
Obi-Wan smiled faintly. "Sometimes. Yes."
Anakin frowned. "That's not very encouraging."
"It's honest," Obi-Wan replied. He turned to Kaelen. "You're learning the difference between capability and necessity. That's important."
HK-47 chose that moment to interject.
"Analytical Commentary: Conclusion confirmed. Master Kaelen's refusal to dominate the environment resulted in predictable failure. Recommendation: Dominate the environment."
Kaelen groaned. "HK…"
"Addendum: Or at least intimidate it."
Ahsoka laughed outright. "I like him more every day."
Anakin smirked. "You sure he's not secretly a Sith?"
HK turned his head toward Anakin.
"Clarification: If I were a Sith, you would already be screaming."
Obi-Wan cleared his throat sharply. "HK."
"Immediate Compliance: Ceasing psychological intimidation of Chosen Ones."
Lessons in Motion
Later that week, Kaelen found himself sparring with Obi-Wan — a far more humbling experience.
Obi-Wan moved with effortless precision, every strike economical, every defense minimal. Kaelen pressed harder than he meant to, frustration bleeding into his form.
Their blades locked.
"You're thinking too much," Obi-Wan said quietly.
Kaelen strained against the bind. "I don't want to rely on… shortcuts."
Obi-Wan disengaged smoothly, stepping back. "Battle Meditation is not a shortcut. But it can become a crutch if you use it to avoid learning your own limits."
Kaelen nodded, breathing slowly. "Bastila said something similar."
Obi-Wan paused. "She speaks to you often."
"Yes," Kaelen said. "But she doesn't… push. She warns."
Obi-Wan studied him carefully. "And do you listen?"
Kaelen hesitated. "Most of the time."
That earned him a knowing smile.
From the edge of the hall, HK watched with tilted head.
"Observation: Master Kenobi's patience is statistically impressive. I would have stunned my Padawan by now."
Obi-Wan did not look away from Kaelen.
"…I heard that."
"Acknowledgment: Excellent auditory sensors."
Bastila's Guidance
That night, Kaelen returned to the lower meditation chamber.
Bastila appeared almost immediately this time, as if she had been waiting.
"You struggled today," she observed.
Kaelen sighed. "I wanted to do better. I wanted to win."
"Winning is not the lesson," Bastila replied gently."Endurance is."
The chamber shifted again — this time into a narrow stone bridge suspended over darkness.
"Battle Meditation tempts its wielder with certainty," she continued."Certainty feels like control. Control feels like safety."
Kaelen took a careful step forward. The bridge creaked.
"And that's bad?"
"It becomes dangerous when you stop questioning yourself."
She glanced at him sidelong.
"My old friend stopped questioning. He believed too strongly in his own clarity."
Kaelen swallowed. "And you couldn't stop him."
Bastila's expression softened, touched by something unspoken.
"I tried," she said simply."Now I teach you — so you will stop yourself."
The bridge widened, solidifying beneath Kaelen's feet.
He nodded. "I understand."
"Good," Bastila said."Because understanding is harder than power."
Family, of a Sort
The following afternoon, Kaelen sat with Anakin and Ahsoka on the Temple steps, watching Coruscant's endless traffic streams.
Ahsoka leaned back on her hands. "You've been quieter lately."
Kaelen shrugged. "Thinking."
Anakin snorted. "Overrated."
Ahsoka elbowed him. "You say that like you don't do it constantly."
Kaelen smiled faintly. "She's right."
Anakin pointed at him. "See? He's maturing. It's weird."
HK stood nearby, motionless.
"Observation: Prolonged exposure to Jedi social bonding appears to be stabilizing Master Kaelen's emotional state."
Kaelen glanced at him. "That sounds… good?"
"Clarification: Yes. But it reduces opportunities for dramatic internal conflict."
Ahsoka laughed. "Oh, don't worry. We'll fix that."
Anakin grinned. "Next mission, you're flying with me."
Kaelen groaned. "That is dramatic conflict."
They sat there for a while, not talking.
Just existing.
For Kaelen, it felt like something precious — something the war hadn't taken yet.
A Warning in Jest
As they rose to leave, HK suddenly spoke again.
"Statement: Master Kaelen."
Kaelen turned. "What?"
"I have analyzed your trajectory."
Anakin frowned. "Why does that sound ominous?"
HK continued calmly.
"Prediction: You will be tested. Not by enemies. Not by war. But by the belief that you alone can make things right."
Kaelen stilled.
Obi-Wan, approaching from behind, paused.
HK tilted his head toward Kaelen.
"When that moment comes… remember you can tell me to shut up."
Kaelen blinked — then laughed quietly.
"I will," he said.
"Sincere Acknowledgment: Good."
For once, HK said nothing else.
And Kaelen knew — somewhere between ancient warnings, patient mentors, reckless friends, and one deeply unsettling droid — he was growing into something new.
Not a legend.
Not a weapon.
But a Jedi who chose.