Project Boussh: The Jedi Code 2
by Vickie Boyd

*You are a figment of my imagination. You are how I wish to be. I can
never be like you.*

*But you can! You have the opportunity facing you. Corran is willing to give
you that chance.*

She felt the darkness enveloping her. *No he isn't. He doesn't believe me.
Hell, I don't even believe me anymore.*

The voice became strained. *No, please. Vickie, don't do it. It hurts.*

Tears came to her eyes. More emotion. The darkness swirled before her eyes.
It fed on the emotion. She could not fight it. It was consuming her. *I
can't stop. It's too late.*

Faintly the voice began to quote, *The battle raged outside. Kelly only
parried the blows. She could not find an opening to attack. The constant
movement was beginning to wear her down.

*Her opponent gleefully took note of this. "See how weak you are? You should
come to the dark side. It gives you unlimited strength."

*"I doubt it's unlimited," she scoffed. Inwardly she thought he may be
right, but she wasn't going to let him know that. She vaulted herself back
out of the dark Jedi's reach. Pulling in everything she knew of the Force,
she regained her focus.*

She remembered. It was the battle with the dark Jedi she had written. She
had to regain her focus. The Light side of the Force was weak within her.
She grabbed hold of the sliver of Light and held it tightly. She began to
repeat the Jedi Code.

"There is no emotion; there is peace.
There is no ignorance; there is knowledge.
There is no passion; there is serenity.
There is no death; there is the Force."

"There is no emotion; there is peace.
There is no ignorance; there is knowledge.
There is no passion; there is serenity.
There is no death; there is the Force."

Over and over she repeated the Code. The light in her hand failed to
brighten.

*You must believe in what you say.*

Believe in the Code. How? She already knew she could never follow the code.
She had too much emotion and passion.

*Trust in yourself. Emotion is not what it means.*

What did Kelly mean by that? Emotion was feelings. Wasn't it? Her brain
hurt. All this thinking about emotion and peace, ignorance and knowledge,
passion and serenity, death and the Force, was wearing her down.

*Think of the book.*

What book? Wait, it was coming back to her. The Core Rulebook. She had read
the section on the Force so many times she almost had it memorized. The Code
was meant only as instruction to becoming a Jedi Master.

Distinguish the confusion of emotional considerations from the clear
thinking of peaceful meditation.

That was it! Meditation. The first of the eight principals a Jedi must use
to come to a conclusion. Meditation, Training, Loyalty, Integrity, Morality,
Discretion, Bravery and Dependence. Fighting is a last resort and only if
you are prepared to take a life.

Meditation clears your mind of emotion. It leads you to peace. That's why
Corran wanted her to meditate so often. He had seen how emotional she was
and knew it would eventually overcome her reasoning.

She thought of the room, just as Corran had taught her. It was cluttered
with people. Everyone from the cabin was there, along with Brad and lots of
Imperials. She was having a hard time focusing. She felt alone, yet
surrounded. She pulled in the walls and was amused at how they pushed the
Imps out first.

Everyone else looked at her. She stood in the middle of the room. In turn,
each one spoke, offering wisdom. Dia, Myn, Kirney, Wes, Hobbie, Bror, Shalla,
Elassar, and the Ewoks stood together. "Believe in yourself", they said in
unison. One by one, they disappeared.

She turned to find Tycho standing before her. "You have the strength. Use
it." He faded from view.

Iella, Mirax and Winter nodded. "Inner strength," they echoed as they
disappeared.

Kristy, Alison, Emily and Morwen stood together. "The Force is strong within
you. You can become what you dream." They faded away.

She turned to look directly at Piggy. "Belief in yourself is the first step
towards redemption."

Ooryl was next. "A findsman knows where to go, as does a Jedi. You will know
where to go."

"We have faith in you, despite what we may say," Josh and Nick said before
vanishing.

Brad looked her in the eyes. "You were right about me," he said in a
haunting voice. "Tell them you were right."

The leaders, Sci and Wedge, were next. "Remember. We are all here for you."

Mike stepped forward. "We're doing this together, remember?" He smiled
warmly before fading.

Pash suddenly appeared before her. The walls were nearly around them. "I
care."

He faded and Corran took his place. "As do I. Concentrate on the Force. Let
it be your guide."

She was alone. The walls had converged. Everyone had faith in her. Quietly,
she slipped deep into meditation. The shard of light she still had in her
hand began to pulse. It burst into a bright purple light, pushing back the
darkness.

She was free. Yet, nobody knew. She had her first encounter with the Dark
side and won. And still, nobody knew.

"There is no emotion; there is peace.
There is no ignorance; there is knowledge.
There is no passion; there is serenity.
There is no death; there is the Force."

As she slipped deep into meditation, a voice quietly whispered, "Thank you."



The Force was beautiful. It showed her many things. She saw herself holding
a lightsaber with a dark purple blade. A group of droids attacked her. She
swung her blade around, watching the trail of purple as it passed, cleaving
an opponent in half. She reached out with the Force to push four of the
attackers down the hall. It was incredible. She had full control of the
Force.

Her senses tingled as she felt two forms approaching. Pulling herself out
of her meditation, she opened her eyes to see not two, but three men
entering her room.

"Oh gods," she heard Sci say as they quickly entered the room.

She blinked. Mike and Corran shone brightly in the Force, but Sci wasn't
there. It was as if he was a void in the Force. Her head cocked to one side.
"I can't sense you," she said to the Terra Leader. "And why are you three
looking at me like that?"