Solo strode purposefully toward his quarters, his steps quick and steady.
Ahsoka followed behind, occasionally breaking into a trot to keep up. He always walks so fast, she thought to herself, making me look like an idiot. Is he doing this on purpose to tease me?
When they reached the metal door, Solo raised his hand to open it and gestured for Ahsoka to enter first.
Stepping across the threshold, Ahsoka's eyes widened at the scene inside. A backpack lay open and stuffed with miscellaneous items, while the floor was littered with holographic projectors, holodisks, and data crystals. In one corner, Clone Trooper armor pieces, helmets, and scraps of leather and fabric were piled haphazardly, alongside several unopened cans of paint. In stark contrast, the bed was impeccably made, as if no one had ever slept in it.
Does he even get proper rest? Ahsoka wondered.
With a wave of his hand, Solo used the Force to sweep the scattered items onto the desk, clearing a patch of clean floor space. He sat cross-legged in a meditation posture known as the Lotus, closed his eyes, and asked, "How do you understand the concept that 'the Jedi are guardians of peace and balance'?"
"Hmm—" Ahsoka immediately delved into her memories of what she had learned in the Temple. "That's one of the seven tenets that Jedi must follow."
Seeing Solo's approving nod, Ahsoka's confidence surged. "The first rule," she continued, "is that the Jedi are the guardians of peace and justice in the galaxy."
"What about the others?" Solo leaned forward slightly, clearly intrigued by her answers.
"Second, Jedi use their power only for knowledge, self-defense, and protecting others, never for attack.
Third, Jedi respect all forms of life.
Fourth, Jedi do not rule; they serve others, aiming to promote the welfare of the entire galaxy.
Fifth, Jedi continuously improve themselves through knowledge and training.
Sixth, a Jedi Master can only have one apprentice at a time, and an apprentice can only have one permanent Master. However, apprentices should also heed the advice of other Jedi, and they can be of any age.
Finally, to wield the Force, a Jedi must maintain harmony with it. Actions that disrupt this harmony diminish one's ability to control the Force."
"Not bad. A solid foundation," Solo said, opening his eyes and looking directly at her. "But what does this mean for you personally?"
"Uh—" Ahsoka paused, then composed herself and answered earnestly, "I believe that as a Jedi, we should be role models for everyone. We should act in the Republic's interest, protect the weak, and help those in need. At the same time, we must continually train and learn to become strong, honest, and brave."
After Ahsoka finished speaking, the cabin fell silent.
Solo remained seated, his eyes closed, his breathing steady, offering no response.
Ahsoka didn't dare disturb him, so she sat quietly across from him, her thoughts swirling.
After a long pause, Solo finally spoke, his voice slow and measured: "Well said, Ahsoka. Much better than I expected."
"Of course," Ahsoka replied with a smile, lifting her chin slightly, a hint of pride in her voice. "After all, I am your apprentice. You haven't forgotten about my progress, have you?"
Solo clapped his hands together, his tone lightening. "Speaking of which, I have a gift for you."
Ahsoka looked at him in confusion as he retrieved a wrapped package from a pile of armor in the corner, a helmet resting on top. He held it out to her. "This is your new armor."
"You... made this?" Ahsoka asked, astonished as she accepted the package.
"More or less," Solo shrugged modestly.
"Can I really keep it?" Ahsoka's eyes sparkled with anticipation.
Solo nodded. "Of course."
Ahsoka snatched the package and dashed eagerly to her cabin to try on her new armor, completely oblivious to Solo collapsing back onto the deck with a long, weary groan.
***
"Ugh, this conversation was exhausting," Solo muttered to himself as he lay on the deck.
He hadn't learned anything new from her answers; these doctrines were already carved into his 'memory'.
But hearing a thirteen-year-old child recite them so mechanically still sent shivers down his spine, raising goosebumps all over his skin.
For ten years, the Jedi Order had successfully instilled these beliefs in Ahsoka, and all the other apprentices, without the slightest deviation. There was no trace of heresy or dissent against the 'doctrines'.
It all seemed perfectly natural, and Ahsoka herself saw nothing wrong with it.
He even recalled a scene from the animated series where Ahsoka had actually lectured Anakin Skywalker about these very doctrines.
After all, Anakin hadn't joined the Jedi Temple until adulthood, had developed his own independent thinking, and his training process had been relatively "unconventional." This might have been partly due to Obi-Wan's overly rigid teaching methods.
Solo knew that to change Ahsoka's ingrained beliefs, he could only gradually guide her with real combat examples. There was no other way.
However, as Geonosis was abandoned beneath mountains of corpses and the smoking wreckage of machinery,
the Galactic Republic tore off the shackles of pacifism that had bound it for a thousand years.
Clone troopers marched across the scorched earth, crushing the foundations of the Republic's constitution deep into the mud.
To the uninformed, it might seem as though the bankers and merchants who protested against bureaucracy, predatory taxes, and other so-called "blessings" of democracy had, in accordance with constitutional provisions, seceded from the Republic before the Petranaki Arena incident.
With the assistance of former Jedi Master Count Dooku, these seceding star systems formed the Confederacy of Independent Systems (CIS), essentially a hastily cobbled-together alliance of sovereign states, with Geonosis as one of its members.
Thus, the sudden appearance of Jedi Knight and Senator Amidala was seen as undeniable proof of espionage...
But just as always, these self-proclaimed guardians of galactic peace had rushed in before fully understanding the situation.
The sudden appearance of this clone army not only stunned the Separatists but also left most Republic citizens utterly bewildered.
Before the invasion, the Separatists were merely a collection of panicked merchants and bankers. But overnight, they bared their fangs of hatred toward the Coruscant government.
Now, hundreds of planets have become battlefields, and millions—even billions—of sentient lives are destined to be crushed in the grand political game.
Solo pondered that this war would provide ample opportunities. Perhaps, he thought, he could gently correct Ahsoka's current views.
Formally, the Republic had indeed won the Battle of Geonosis. The Separatist leaders fled in disarray, their robot army was utterly defeated, and their factories reduced to rubble. The sandy plains of Geonosis are now trampled by the armored boots of Republic soldiers.
Clone troopers are systematically rooting out every native resistance stronghold that refuses to surrender.
But unlike most sentient beings in the galaxy, Solo knew that both sides of this conflict were actually manipulated by a single mastermind.
Darth Sidious, Chancellor Palpatine, once a senator from Naboo... This Sith Lord had set destroying the Jedi Order, overthrowing the Republic, and establishing the Galactic Empire as his lifelong goals.
His ambition and worldview served as the prelude to centuries of bloody slaughter across the galaxy.
As Palpatine destroyed the Republic and the Jedi Order, he sought to establish a powerful regime capable of withstanding the Yuuzhan Vong, while also fulfilling the ancient Sith aspiration of completely annihilating the Jedi.
The Jedi and the Sith, like the two sides of a coin, dragged the galaxy into war time and again due to their fundamental doctrinal opposition.
This faith, meant to encompass both the light and dark aspects of the Force, ultimately split its followers into two warring factions, reducing the galaxy to a gladiatorial arena for millennia-old enemies.
For thousands of years, both sides slaughtered each other, refusing to acknowledge the legitimacy of the other. The deeper their internal conflicts grew, the more blood flowed across the galaxy.
The history of the distant galaxy remained trapped in an endless cycle.
Long periods of peace were, in essence, merely synonyms for stagnation, destined to be shattered by conflicts spanning the galaxy. These wars would, in turn, completely reshape the balance of power between star systems.
Whether the Jedi or the Sith ignited the war, the outcome remained unchanged: war, unending.
This time would be no exception.
The Jedi...
The Sith...
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