The Jedi Order always had a strange way of recruiting people. They would take children from a very young age to ensure they could be "properly trained" and prevent the emotions that would lead to the dark side. For some Jedi, never properly meeting their family was a defining issue as was not being able to find love, but most got over it in time and fell in line.
I won't bother going over my opinions on this for now and I better get this done as there isn't much time left, they will be here soon. I'll stop rambling now and explain one of the first things I can remember about being in the Jedi.
I was taken from my family at 2, I have no memory of them. When I was six I finally began training for my Jedi padawan trials. All us younglings gathered around Master Yoda to begin the first stage of training. I looked around at the students around me. Many of these people I had known my entire life (being raised in the temple with them). I looked over to the youngling standing next to me. I didn't recognize him. He had short brown hair, green eyes, and fair skin. Comparatively, I had blond hair with a braid going down my side, brown eyes, and naturally tanned skin.
"My lessons so uninteresting youngling, mmh?"
Yoda's voice made me realize I'd zoned out.
"Sorry master." I stammered
Yoda laughed, "Worry do not youngling, fine it is."
After the lesson I was approached by the new boy.
"Hi." He said cheerfully, "That was funny."
"Oh, ya. I guess it was." I eked out. I was and am really introverted and already had problems getting along with the other younglings I had already known my entire life. Being approached by this new kid really made me very self-conscious and nervous.
His face went into one of confusion for a second and then back into a smile.
"Oh, I forgot to introduce myself. I'm Sirus, I was transferred here from Dantooine." He said with his cheery voice.
For whatever reason, I had slowly become more comfortable with him around.
"Transferred?" I asked curiously, "I never heard of anyone being transferred, what happened?" I quickly realized I forgot to say my name, "Oh and I'm Victor Lucion by the way."
He shrugged, clearly having no idea about why he was transferred either. "I don't know. Also nice to meet you Victor."
That day I met my best and one of my only friends I had for the better half of my life.
Our lightsabers clashed upon each other. His blue against my green. I used a light force push to keep Sirus back while he tried for force throw a small training object. He failed and I quickly got the upperhand and forced pushed Sirus down.
I pointed my saber down at him, "You done yet?"
He sighed, "Yeah, it looks like it."
I deactivated my saber and held my hand out to help him up.
"Sirus!" The voice of Sirus' Jedi trainer yelled. "You are fifteen now and can hardly use the force or even a lightsaber. If the Jedi council had not decided on giving you a two-year extension for your youngling training you would be in the service corps by now! And now you only have a week left!"
We were fifteen then. For a long time, it had been known Sirus was just barely force sensitive enough to be accepted into the Jedi order, combined with his relaxed and pacifistic nature he was a subpar in both lightsaber skills and the Force. I had already passed my trials to become a Padawan and in my off time decided to help Sirus train in hopes that he make through his trials. Unfortunately, while his dueling skills had slightly improved he still remained near hopeless in the Force and he still couldn't duel well enough to make up for it.
"Leave him alone," I said sternly. Master Narrik had been Sirus' trainer. He was always been a grumpy, miserable man who had never did Sirus right.
"Don't patronize me, young man! I'm his trainer and I'll make the final decision! Be thankful I let you train with him at all!"
My hand was tightly gripping my lightsaber. Despite the Jedi code forbidding anger, I could barely control myself. I was only stopped when I felt my own master's hand on my shoulder. My master was named Xavier, though I only ever called him Master. He was like a father figure to me and his presence calmed me down. He pulled me out of the room and mentally commanded me to allow Sirus to converse with his trainer without me.
He kneeled down, put both his hands and my shoulders and looked me directly in the eyes.
"Look, Victor, I understand your concern for your friend." Master Xavier said in his typical fatherly voice. "You have to understand that Sirus has to do this himself. He passes or fails on his own merit."
"But Narrik hates him!" I interrupted. Despite Narrik being a Master I would never call him one.
"Padawan Victor Lucion!" Master Xavier said sternly. "You must calm down." He said going back to a calmer voice. "I'm sorry, but we must go soon. The Separatists are advancing again and as Jedi we are needed. You must let Sirus do this himself. I'm certain he will succeed."
Master Xavier calmed me down. I bowed to him and left for me room. Tomorrow I leave to fight the Separatists and I will say goodbye to my friend before I go.
"Force damn this pointless war." I had thought on my way to my room. And with that thought I went to sleep and let darkness take me.
Blaster bolts flew all around me. The droids continued to slowly advance on my position. The clones around me continued to desperately fire back while I deflected as many bolts as possible as the seemingly endless droid horde marched on our position. My master had left our position to do his plan. Master Xaver realised that there was no way to hold our position or win this battle without doing something risky.
"Please hurry master we don't have much time left."
Only a few clones were left, the droids were mere few meters away and what little cover that was left would be made useless.
*Boom *Boom *Boom
I heard what sounded like a series of explosions underground. The ground collapsed with the droid army on top of it. Hundreds of droids went falling through the ground. My jaw hung in amazement. Behind me the clones cheered in amazement.
My master descended down on us on a captured droid air speeder.
"Well Padawan, do you have something to tell me or are you going to let your jaw hang here." My master said with a hint of sarcasm.
"How did you do that master?" I said in amazement.
My master smirked, "It was a simple task, it was just time consuming. The sewer system on this planet is quite ancient and as such is very close to the ground. I simply filled it with explosives to collapse the ground above it."
I continued smiling in amazement.
My master patted my head. "It's nice to know you really enjoyed the show, but we really need to continue moving. The Separatists have breached the castle." His voice progressively becoming more serious as he talked.
I nodded in understanding and followed him in.
20 minutes later
Commando droids breached the castle by scaling the walls. We ran through the castle trying to reach the hanger. By then the castle all but fallen and most of the remaining soldiers were guarding the hanger. Me, my master, and a few remaining clones were left desperately trying to escape.
My master expertly sliced down all the commando droids trying to stop our charge. It looked like we were going to make it when he showed up.
"AHAHA" *Cough *Cough *Cough. The mechanical voice of General Grievous yelled.
"Jedi scum, time for you to die!" Grievous taunted.
He was surrounded by several magnaguards, the commando droids chasing us were quickly catching up
My master went tense, I noticed the force slowly starting to build up in him
"General Grievous," My master said coldly, "What a pleasure to meet the great pawn of the Sith."
"Fool!" Grievous yelled, "I am the General of the greatest droid army to ever exist. I am no pawn!"
The Force power I felt in my master continued to grow as the conversation progressed.
"Congratulations on being in charge of a mindless army. Any other army would of left long ago to get away from your rage and incompetence."
The rage building up in Grevious was obvious to everyone in the room. I continued to wonder what the point of all this was when my master sent me a mental command.
"We cannot escape or fight Grievous, if we both run he will catch us, if we fight we will die. Someone has to keep him distracted. I am going to unleash a force wave strong enough to bring this hallway down. You will jump through the hole in the wall and run to the hanger WITHOUT me. You've grown up and will make a worthy Jedi Knight.
Before I could argue my master stopped me.
"GO! You are young and I am old. I am no master if I let you die. Please live, as my last will."
With tears in my eyes I nodded and did as he commanded. I heard Grievous yell, but my master unleashed the shockwave. The hallway under me collapsed and the castle began falling with it. Despite my will being crushed I kept running as that is what my master wanted. I could just see the hanger as an explosion hit me and my world went dark.