"I do turn the lights off."
There was no silence like Max had expected. Master Plo Koon answered immediately.
"Lord Vizsla, that was thoughtless of me—my answer was inappropriate. But the dark side is not the same as the calm, peaceful night. The dark side is cruel and violent. Between the light side and the dark side of the Force, I will always choose the light."
In the galaxy, Kel Dor are renowned for their black-and-white moral clarity and their ability to distinguish right from wrong. Master Plo Koon not only inherited that racial trait—he amplified it and integrated it into his understanding of the Force.
A wrong answer was a wrong answer. Plo Koon admitted the mistake at once and reflected on it, never papering over errors.
White is white, black is black; light is light, dark is dark; justice is justice, evil is evil. Plo Koon's values were never swayed by the dark side's whispers—nor would Max's little question shake him.
The question Max had prepared carefully on the way here—one he'd expected to land as a clean, satisfying hit—ended up doing basically nothing. The young man fell briefly silent and, without thinking, glanced at Mace Windu beside him.
"Lord Vizsla," the motherfucker caught that look, "your perception is very sharp. I have indeed been troubled by the dark side—and by the darkness inside myself. Later, when I faced that darkness head-on, I found a way to turn darkness into light and freed myself from those troubles. In that process, Master Plo Koon helped and guided me. He is a true Jedi whose words and actions are one."
"Clap, clap, clap." Max applauded. Then he pressed his palms together toward Master Windu and asked, "Master Windu—can you teach me your method of turning darkness into light?"
"I'm afraid I can't." Mace Windu shook his head. "Lord Vizsla."
"Why not?" Max asked, genuinely puzzled.
Master Windu sat upright, hands held facing each other, and replied seriously:
"Lord Vizsla, first I must clarify something. The Jedi understanding of balance in the Force is fundamentally different from yours. Unlike your interpretation—bringing the light side and the dark side into an equal equilibrium—the Jedi believe that only by dispersing darkness and igniting the light can balance be restored to the Force."
("Balance can be interpreted like that? That's insanely extreme. Jedi and Sith, New Mandalorians and Death Watch… in the Star Wars galaxy, what never runs out is extremists!") Max scratched his head. "Different interpretations are normal, aren't they? We can agree to disagree. Does that difference really stop me from learning your method of turning darkness into light?"
"It absolutely does." Windu nodded with certainty.
"Lord Vizsla, the dark side is exceptionally dangerous and evil. When you're only lightly influenced by it, or when there are minor dark impulses in your inner world, my method might be able to convert that darkness into light and return you to a bright, tranquil balance."
"But it's dangerous. One misstep and the user falls into the dark side. Lord Vizsla, with the dark already occupying half of your inner world, if you try to use my method to convert it—then the dark side will probably applaud on the spot, welcoming the birth of a new Sith Dark Lord."
("No way—Vaapad is exactly what I want to learn.")
"But," Master Yoda spoke, "wrong, the Jedi understanding is. Right, Lord Vizsla's understanding—possible, it is, perhaps. Harmony. Balance. Like this diagram."
("Yes, yes—exactly. This is why you're the GOAT, Master Yoda.") Max bowed his head. "Thank you, Master Yoda."
"Mmm. Thank me, you need not." Master Yoda lightly wagged a finger.
"Lord Vizsla—tiny, the chance is, of light-and-dark balance. Large, the chance is, of falling fully to the dark side, you. Historically, Jedi who fell to the dark side—nearly all were Jedi who studied the dark side or Sith secrets."
"Cannot ignore, the possibility of bringing light-and-dark balance, you. More cannot ignore, the possibility of falling to the dark side, you. Your idea—hiring a Jedi as a light-side mentor—I support."
As he spoke, Master Yoda gestured toward the door.
"Lord Vizsla. Mr. Rane. A vote, the Jedi High Council will take—I will call it. Step outside, you two must. Avoid the room, please."
"By your will. May the Force be with us." Max stood, and with Christopher Rane, saluted the Masters of the Jedi High Council, then withdrew from the chamber. Aayla Secura came out with them.
"Ms. Secura," Max arched a brow and teased, "looks like we'll be calling each other teacher and student pretty soon."
The Jedi flower pursed her lips and shook her head. "Not me. Lord Vizsla, my talent isn't sufficient to be your mentor. If your request is approved, I think Master Yoda himself will have to step in."
"No, no, no." Max waved both hands. "A student isn't necessarily inferior to a teacher, and a teacher isn't necessarily more brilliant than a student. Understanding comes sooner or later; skill depends on what you study and what you're good at—that's all. And besides, your cultivation of the light side is far beyond mine. With your qualifications, being my mentor would be more than enough."
"You're too—"
Aayla Secura stopped mid-sentence. After a short pause, she said again, "Lord Vizsla—the vote is finished. The High Council has approved your request. Let's go in."
"This is…?" Max sensed a faint ripple in the Force.
"This is telepathy," the young Jedi said as they walked. "A form of qigong—a skill that uses the Force to communicate at a distance."
("Useful. Just not sure how secure it is—can other Force-sensitives eavesdrop?") Max pondered as he walked.
"Approved, your request is," Master Yoda explained concisely once they were back inside. "To be your mentor, a Jedi will meet you. Immediately, he will."
"He?" Max froze. "Not you—or Ms. Secura?"
"Mmm. Not." Master Yoda nodded. "A more suitable choice, he is, the Council believes."
("Who? What is this? I don't care what you 'believe'—I care what I want.")
...
Knock, knock. The sound came from the door. "Jedi Obi-Wan Kenobi reporting."
"Enter."
("No way… Old Wan?!") Max stared at the doorway, pupils detonating.
...
PS: Vaapad—the seventh form developed by Windu—is a style extremely close to the dark side. One slip and the practitioner can fall. But in essence, Vaapad itself does not belong to the dark side.
"I developed Vaapad (based on Juyo) to answer my own weakness—turning the darkness inside me into a weapon of light. To use Vaapad, a Jedi must surrender to the thrill of battle, enjoy combat, enjoy the satisfaction of victory. A Jedi must also accept and embrace the opponent's fury. That makes the Jedi one half of a superconductor ring; the other half is the power of darkness—it enters and exits the Jedi, but does not touch the Jedi. Vaapad is more than a fighting style. It is a state of mind, a path through the penumbra of the dark side." —Mace Windu
PPS: In the Legends continuity, among the earliest nine temples built by the Jedi, the one dedicated to Force skills was called "Qigong Kesh." After that, Force skills were referred to as qigong. (The training temple was called "Padawan Kesh," and "Padawan" comes from that.)
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