Into the Void (Star Wars: Dawn of the Jedi, #1)

by Tim Lebbon

At the heart of any poor soul not at one with the Force, there is only void. —Unknown Je’daii, 2,545 TYA (Tho Yor Arrival)

She believed that to be strong with the Force, one had to be strong in body.

There was something so profoundly moving to the distance and scale of what she saw out there, and the Force never let her forget that she was a part of something incomprehensibly large. She supposed it was as close as she ever came to a religious epiphany.

We strive to keep the dark and the light, Bogan and Ashla, forever in balance.

In your early years, the flow of the Force might seem frightening, shocking. Find balance between its light and dark facets, and the flow will become a powerful stillness. Struggle against the Force, and your body rebels; fight with the Force and you have the universe on your side. —Temple Master Vor’Dana, Stav Kesh, 10,441 TYA

‘The Force is neither light nor dark, master nor slave, but a balance between extremes.’

Life is a challenge, and facing that challenge is what makes the good great.

Never place all your reliance in the Force. It’s always there, but that does not mean it can always be called upon. Each Je’daii is his own person with his own talents. Learn to use them. Nurture them. If the Force is the dream, you are the dreamer, and sometimes you have to wake up. Sometimes, you are all you have.

A Je’daii needs nothing but confidence and comfort in the Force. Clothes for warmth, a ship to travel in, food for energy, water to slake thirst, a sword to stab, a blaster to shoot … all these are luxuries. The Force is everything, and without it, we are nothing.

“There’s the Force. It binds and holds us, and makes everything precious to me. It’s our reason for being. There is no ignorance, there is knowledge. And that’s much more precious than fine foods or somewhere comfortable to wash.”

no Je’daii can defeat death.

Pride is a dangerous indulgence.

Only the weak-minded are always open to a Je’daii’s sensings,

Immersion in the dark side of the Force can seem stronger, more freeing, more triumphant than existing within balance. But only from the outside. Do not be tempted. Those who are swallowed by the darkness lose not only balance and control. They lose their souls.

There is a figure. Tall, cloaked, armored, an unmarked helmet hiding its features. In its hand is a weapon the like of which she has never seen before. A sword, but strange, with pure Force as its blade.