We were sitting on the cold floor of the ancient room, trapped.Ahsoka kept trying to open the door panel. Her montrals twitched impatiently every time the system flashed red.
Barris was sitting cross-legged, eyes closed, breathing deeply, as if this was just another meditation session. And me… well, I was watching the two worlds they represented: Ahsoka, full of energy, impulsive. Barris, centered, restrained. And there I was, caught in the middle.
"You know," I commented, trying to break the silence, "I was expecting to end my first day with a bath and maybe some hot tea. Not an accusation for trespassing in a restricted area."
Ahsoka huffed and sat down, exhausted.
"That would only be true if I actually knew which corridor to avoid. And… okay, maybe I got a little mixed up."
Barris opened one eye, looking straight at me.
"You're surprisingly calm for a Mandalorian."
"You're surprisingly calm for someone trapped in a room with no way out."
She smiled. One of those small, almost shy, but sincere smiles.
"The Force has its own rhythm. Getting nervous doesn't help. Besides…" — she glanced sideways at Ahsoka — "…this isn't the first mischief I've witnessed."
"Hey !" protested Ahsoka. "You're talking like I'm the problem here."
"You are the problem," Barris and I said at the same time. Then, for a moment, we all laughed.
The ice was completely broken.
"What's Mandalore like ?" Barris asked then, genuinely curious. "I've always heard stories of warriors, armor… conflict."
I sighed, looking up at the vaulted ceiling of the chamber.
"I don't like it there. It's about fighting, honor, glory. But also loneliness. There, everyone pretends they never feel fear. Here, I see you… you talk, laugh, share things. It's different. I think I like it here more."
Barris nodded thoughtfully.
"Maybe that's why the Force brought you to us."
Ahsoka stretched and said:
"If the Force wanted us trapped here just to become friends, it could've found a less dramatic way."
"Maybe that's exactly what it wanted," Barriss replied softly. "To force us to stop and listen to each other."
For a few minutes, we stayed silent.The good kind of silence.
After a while, the door panel beeped — all on its own. A click, and it slowly opened.
We looked at each other.
"Was that you ?" I asked Ahsoka.
She shook her head.
"I didn't touch anything."
Barris got up slowly, a strange expression on her face.
"The Force wants us to leave now."
"Or some master noticed we were gone and decided to intervene," I commented.
"Same difference," said Ahsoka, jumping to her feet.
When we left the room and returned to the main corridor, the Temple was completely silent. No one in sight. No alarms. No scolding. Yet.
On the way back to the dormitories, we walked side by side. When I said goodbye, Barriss looked at me again, this time without the shyness from before.
"It was nice talking to you, Revan. I hope we can train together soon."
"Me too," I replied. "You're different. In a good way."
She smiled again, and I realized maybe I had found more than just allies in the Jedi Temple. I had found friends.
And maybe, for the first time, I felt less like a Mandalorian among Jedi… and more like a Jedi among friends.
The next day started with a strange feeling — the kind of silence the Force seemed to respect. It was still early. The Temple corridors were nearly empty, the sky above Coruscant shaded light gray, promising a calm day.
After the Jedi history class, while the others dispersed, Barriss approached, carrying a small box of tea and two rolled-up mats.
"Want to train a bit ?" she asked.
"I thought training was only in the afternoon," I replied.
"This isn't combat training," she said. "It's about focus."
I accepted immediately. There was something about Barriss's presence that made me calmer. Like the world stopped running for a few minutes when she spoke.
We went to an inner garden, quiet, hidden between two Temple towers. Strange flowers grew along the edges, exhaling a soft perfume. We sat on the mats facing each other.
She offered me some hot tea."This helps calm the mind," she said, gently blowing on hers. "You have a connection with the Force, Revan. I can feel it. But you're trying to control it like it's a weapon. The Force… is not a weapon."
"In my head, it's hard to think otherwise. Mandalore taught me to dominate everything with strength. Here… it feels like I have to let go of that."
"Exactly. Now close your eyes."
I obeyed.
"Breathe deeply. Feel the air going in… coming out. Don't try to force the Force. Let it come to you. Like the wind."
I stayed like that for a while. Just listening to my breathing. The sound of the leaves. The warmth of the sun on my skin.
"Do you feel anything ?" she whispered.
"I… feel warmth in my hands. A slight pressure. Like something… is touching my fingers from inside."
"That's the Force. It's listening to you."
Suddenly, something changed.
My mind expanded.
I felt the energy around the plants. The roots under the earth. I heard the buzzing of insects, but not with my ears. I saw sunlight even with my eyes closed. And at the center of it all, there was something — like an ocean of calm. And I was floating in it.
It was… peace.
For a moment, I was no longer Ravan, the Mandalorian, the novice youngling. I was just part of everything. Part of the flow.
I returned slowly, opening my eyes.
Barris watched me with that serene look of hers. But there was a slight glow in her eyes.
"You felt it, didn't you ?"
I nodded, still speechless.
"The first time that happens… you never forget."
"No… I won't forget," I answered.
We got up slowly. The tea had already cooled.
As we walked back to the Temple, she said something that stayed in my mind the rest of the day:
"The hardest battle a Jedi faces… is the one inside. When you learn to listen to the Force, Revan, you won't need to fight to control it. It will trust you."
I smiled at her.
"Thank you, Barris. I think today… I began to understand what it means to be a Jedi."