OOC: Well, I haven't put a story up in a looooong time. I have been working on this story a little. Wanted some feedback to work on it more. Let me know what you think!
Chapter 1
"I remember as if it were only a few years ago, not too much has changed since back then. Some new dignitaries, slightly new technology, some have past, some have been born. I believe it really started around 3,830 BBY, and my wasn't that an interesting year. I have witnessed it all, yet there is still so much I needed to search for. The answers are never easy to find, nor are something you want to re-live. In life, all you have is memories, and the emotions that follow it. Yes, I know Jedi's aren't supposed to delve into their emotions, but maybe you will understand after my story. On that note: Let me tell you the story about this one Twi'lek named Ageken..."
Ageken sifted through Tython. It was appealing he guessed, but he didn't spend much time taking in the sights. Ageken would always be indoors, somewhere cool, reading a book. That was his virtue and he decide to stick to it. So, once walking through the small piece of the planet and seeing trees, and more trees, he wouldn't squeal like a Manka baby. He, being a new Padawan, moved towards the Jedi Temple. Most Padawans sought the Jedi Code, and centering themselves within the force. Ageken looked to manipulating the force to his will. He wished for power, enough so to make a name for himself, and to make those who wished him dead, to also have a non-stop terror for him. He kept this fact a secret, many would try and prevent him from becoming a Jedi, and others would wonder why he didn't simply try to join the Sith. The difference between the Sith and Jedi in Ageken's mind was simple. One killed initiates, the other didn't. So, for fear of his own existence, he attempted to manipulate the Jedi Order. So far, all of his endeavors of fully manipulating anyone from the Jedi Order, has failed miserably. Regardless, Ageken found a Master willing to take him on as a Padawan.
The Jedi Temple always looked to be so massive, even from afar. Ageken would constantly wonder if the one's who created these structures may have been compensating for something. Ageken walked through the entrance of the Jedi Temple, he was thankful to leave the cheeriness of the others in the courtyard, it...irritated him. Unfortunately, Ageken wasn't one to hide such irritations well on his face. His Master seemed to catch him every time something bothered him.
"What is sooo troublesome for my little Padawan." A Togruta said popping out of a corner in the Temple, it was almost as if she knew Ageken would be walking up the stairs leading into the Temple. Ageken looked at his Master with a grimace, she held a slight smile on her purple skin. Her Lekku swaying as she continued to walk towards him. Age still didn't understand the rituals of painting one's skin. He felt that it was similar to how Twi'leks would tattoo patterns based on their clan. Every time he looked at her he would feel...uneasy. Her face had white stripes from the sides of her nose, to her jawline. Above her eyes had a circle of white, and she had a slight white pattern down her chin.
"Nothing to concern yourself with Master." Ageken replied with his Lekku twitching as he looked away from her.
"Ah, but you are still too young to hold such looks. Better to wait till you are old, much like myself." She said while assuring Ageken to follow her. He, of course, did follow her down the side path from the main hall. His robes whisked between his legs, they were the usual brown much like the wraps that were on his upper body. This was the basic Padawan attire, which Age felt was immensely boring to wear. His blue eyes scanned his Master clothes, they were brown but the material was a higher quality.
"It must feel wonderful to wear." He thought to himself as his Master continued to talk about how old she was.
"Master Rey, we both know you aren't much older than me. You are a Master because of your talent. The Council, along with others in the Temple, can see that even though you are young, you have proven yourself many times." He said now looking forward while he walked.
She lifted up her sleeve to laugh into as she walked through the halls passing many different species, Padawan and Master alike. "Agey, I told you to call me Syrena. It has been a month an a half so far, surely we are past the pleasantries." She lowered her sleeve as she spoke. She was always cheery, which would dissuade many from thinking her capable of being a Master. Ageken has known his master long enough to see that when she got serious, there were no jokes being made. Ageken honestly knew next to nothing about his Master, and that irritated him.
"I don't think it would be appropriate to call you by your first name Master. Surely the other Masters question you enough for taking me on as a Padawan, they don't need to think there is something between us." He shook his head, his lekku following as he did. "Also, must you call me Agey? That is...demeaning." They finally reached their destination. Fear quickly grabbed at Ageken as he looked around. "M-Master..." Syrena Rey, swiftly moved to the right of a large room with padded floors. On the wall was a weapon rack that held practice sabers. She grabbed two, throwing one at Ageken.
"Fear is beneath you my Padawan." She smirked walking towards him.
Ageken quickly picked up the practice saber. "I-I wouldn't have a problem if I had any other Master! Must we do this? Can't I just read a book, or have a practice droid or fight a Sith!?"
"Oh come now Agey, it isn't that bad training with me." She rose her practice saber above her head, holding it with both hands. "I will be gentle as always."
Ageken began to sweat as he gripped the practice saber tightly in his hands. As instructed by his Master previously, he held his practice saber down and to the right of his body. "You say that, but last time I needed to seek medical attention! Did the Council say nothing to you on the incident after you left me with those Med droids!?"
"The Council say a lot of things, I don't always listen to them." She lowered her head as her lekku moved with her, the white striped paint on her lekku seemed to almost camouflage as she slowly moved towards him. He began to slowly circle her looking for a weak spot. He saw a small opening on her left slide. He lunged at his Master striking from his downward stance, to her left ribcage. Syrena twisted her waist as Ageken's attack missed. While Age continued to move forward towards the empty attack, Syrena used the hilt of the practice sword to strike him on the back of the neck which caused Age to fumble to the ground. Once landing he shifted his body to lay on his back. He let out a sigh as he winced and gripped the back of his neck. Age opened his eyes to look up at the brown circular ceiling. "The décor is terrible" He thought to himself.
Syrena walked to him, standing over as he looked up. She shook her head with a look of disappointment. "You will never be ready for a mission if you can't realize that I let you see the opening. You would be dead if I were a Sith." She sighed extending her hand. Age took it, and gave a slight bow. "I know I am not like other Padawans, but I will try to learn from anything you give me...even though it hurts."
Syrena put her hands on her waist looking at him. She shook her head again and said "I chose you as my Padawan, and I don't regret it. You will learn, don't be so down on yourself. Come, lets continue the lesson."
They sparred for quite some time. By the time Ageken made it to his bed, he was too exhausted to think , let alone do his normal ritual of reading himself to sleep. Right when he was about to drift off to sleep, Ageken heard his roommate shift and look at Ageken. This Sullustan was a friend, one of the few that Ageken had. He was the same age as Ageken, a whopping 16 at the time.
"What Sien?" Ageken said with a sigh. It was late, and he was in pain. At this point, Age wished he was able to use the force to heal himself or to at least dull the pain a bit. The Sullustan jumped slightly from the comment before speaking. "Did your Master spar with you again?" Sien had large ears, even as a Sullustan at his age he had large ears. He loved when people talked about it, especially the females. Age didn't care much, it allowed him to talk quieter and still be heard.
"Isn't it obvious? She is going to kill me one day, no one will know of this little blue Twi'lek and his day to day trials of near death experiences brought on by his own Master!" He closed his eyes again and began to frown when he heard that all too familiar Chuckle from his roommate. A Sullustan's laugh is definitely distinguishable between other species. It is hard to explain, but it is like a low bellow. Age turned on his side, eyes green eyes gazing around the dark room. Even though many have told him not to dwell on emotion, he felt empty at night. Almost a longing for something. He knew his Master felt it, yet she hadn't spoken to him nor done anything about it. "That woman is just strange." He said as he drifted off into sleep.
"Some time had passed, I can't say what length of time because my memory has never been particularly great, but there were some slight changes. Some new hopeful faces arrived, at the Academy. Some have been forced to leave their endeavor of being a Jedi...I felt for poor Niemha and Barron. I suppose I should elaborate a little. It all started when our studies were completed for the day..."
Ageken was nearly sleep walking by the end of the day. Master Vare spoke about Midichlorians within practically everything. He spoke about how it isn't just to use the force, but to comprehend situations. Ageken already knew this, hell, everyone who he spoke to knew this. He was so tired of being taught things he already knew about. He walked up towards the second floor with a sigh and rounded a corner. He walked through a hallway with holographic faces, Honorary Jedi. Age wondered if these Jedi who had passed would be upset to know their heads will be shown for all the upcoming Padawans. He shook his head because he felt that they were all pompous from the start. "Non emotional Jedi my lekku!" He thought. He shook his head from such thoughts, it would do no good to argue with himself. He walked out onto a balcony overlooking a garden adjacent to the courtyard when he felt a slight ripple in the force.
Not being experienced in the force, he looked around for the reason of something feeling off. Upon some time, Age decided to look over the balcony and into the Garden. In some shrubbery, stood two Padawans he recognized. He wondered why they were in the corner of the garden before realizing they were kissing. His mouth had literally dropped slightly as he took a step back in shock. "Do they know what would happen if they were caught!?" He said and turned quickly to leave the premise, almost as though he were doing something against the Jedi Code.
Upon turning, Age almost literally ran into Master Xar'Jen. He was a Rodian that was well known for horrible jokes, and being too stern to approach. Ageken's eyes widened in surprise. "M-Master Xar...H-How have you been?" Ageken was finally able to spit out.
Xar looked down at the Padawan and frowned. "What was that about getting caught?" Xar began to walk towards the edge of the balcony. Ageken began to panic. "If Xar simply looked over he would see them!" He thought. Ageken believed he had to move quickly. Why Age felt such an urge to prevent these two Padawan's secrets from being revealed was beyond his comprehension. It was almost a need to preserve something that felt...right. Age stepped in front of Xar and put his hands up, he had begun to sweat. "I-I was talking about the birds! They were...flying into the temple and that made me sad. They have already escaped though. S-So...uh Master Xar me and the other Padawans were talking about your amazing jokes. Do you mind telling me some?" Age bit his lower lip this purple eyed Rodian was going to know about them and then think Ageken was helping them. "I am helping them...why should I care?" He thought to himself.
Xar's ear twitched slightly as he nodded. "Of course young Padawan! I'm always in the mood to tell a great joke!" What had Ageken gotten himself into. "What do you call a walking rug that speaks and stinks?" Xar said with that smile that Rodians have. "I-I don't know...what?" Age said already wishing he was elsewhere.
"A wookie!" Xar put a hand on his stomach as he made an odd noise known as a Rodian laugh. Ageken waited for the overwhelming punch line and a thought occurred. "I needed to warn those two who are still kissing! Gods, it's almost as if they are forced upon themselves due to a gravitational pull!" He bit his lip and cursed himself as he let out a loud over dramatic laugh. One that would warn the Padawans but seem as if Age just really was idiotic enough to enjoy his jokes. Xar continued to laugh as he said "Oh, oh, I have another!" Age wanted to just jump off the balcony. He looked down towards the garden as he saw the two Padawans look up quickly and scramble away from each other before quickly walking back inside. "Oh thank the Gods." He said with a sigh of relief. "Not like I care or anything...why should I care if they want to end their time with each other and in the Jedi Order. It doesn't involve me...why am I even doing this." Age began to follow Xar inside while cycling through his thoughts.
Xar would tell him jokes for another hour. Ageken was finally able to break free from Xar's jokes upon seeing Sien. Yes, Ageken threw Sien under the speeder by a single comment. Ageken had looked at Sien, then at Xar and said. "Oh, Sien is one who loves jokes! He talks about how your his favorite Master." Sien's head snapped at Ageken. Age looked into Sien's eyes and felt a chill down his spine. Age made a face almost to say he was sorry, but he did take the time to walk away as Xar invoked his 'hilarious' joke upon another victim. Age walked through the side hall that lead to some classrooms. He inhaled deep finally free from the Rodian, Age would have to beg forgiveness to Sien later that night, but for the time being Age was happy to finally be away from the Master.
After turning the corner, Age ran into Niemha, one of the Padawans who had a gravitational problem. He stopped suddenly looking at the human woman. Her brown eyes scanned him slowly. Once seeing her up close, Age realized she was actually really attractive. Her black hair was down around her shoulders, she was shorter than Age so he looked down at her. "...E-Excuse me." He said while trying to pass her. She grabbed his wrist gently, her hand was soft.
"T-Thank you..." She said softly unable to look at Age directly now. "Barron and myself...we are in lo-" Age turned to her grabbing her wrist with his free hand. Niemha turned to look at him. He looked her directly in the eyes. "You don't need to explain...I won't tell anyone." Age said as his heart skipped a beat. "Why!? Why is this such a big deal? Why am I acting like this? Why does it matter? Why do I...care? He thought, practically screamed, to himself. Niemha's eyes teared up upon hearing his response. She let go of his wrist and nodded. Age couldn't help but feel pity for her. She seemed like she just wanted someone to say 'It's okay to have these emotions.'
Niemha and Ageken left without another word. Was there anything else needing to be said? Ageken felt an odd connection at that one point. A stunning realization, not all emotions are wrong. Ageken entered his room feeling numb, his heart pounded hard within his chest. It hadn't stopped since Niemha grabbed his wrist, and Age didn't want it to stop beating. Sien burst through the door pointing a finger at Ageken. "You Schutta! How dare you leave me with that man! He just now stopped telling me jokes! It has been three hours Age, not one, or two, but three!" Age had spent the rest of their night begging for forgiveness. Sien never gave it to him, but Age assumed that eventually he would.
It wasn't until a week later that Niemha and Barron were found out. They were found professing their love for one another in Niemha's quarters. A Padawan told her Master about the relationship both Niemha and Barron had for each other. They were separated, and forced to join the Jedi Corps in separate departments. As Ageken stood among the other Padawans awaiting a Master to 'discuss the situation', he heard the Padawans speak about the two lovers. He heard one say "Don't they realize we are Jedi? Emotions lead to the dark side, personally I like my skin tone." and another "I think she was just being a Schutta and brought Barron down with her. What a disgrace to the order." Ageken gritted his teeth, and closed his eyes. "They disgust me...no one can tell me what they felt was wrong!" To admit what they felt was a taboo, would to admit that Ageken's feelings were the same. The debriefing didn't take very long. The Padawans were to talk to their Masters if another situation like this arose. Ageken felt that another 'incident' isn't going to happen for a while.
Ageken left the room feeling an emptiness that he hadn't felt before.
"I remember a poem, rather a part in the poem, that has stuck in my head through these years. 'The flow of time, waits for no species. Instead, we wait for the time to flow to no avail. Time, is our deity, it is also our death.' As time flowed around me, I realized this to be true. It is a scary prospect really. Ah, but all of that will be explained later. Let us get back to the protagonist shall we?"
"You are getting better my Padawan" Syrena Rey said with a beaming smile. She did a sweep attack to Ageken's legs. He jumped back avoiding the attack and then lunged at her with his practice saber. She deflected the attack and kicked him in the stomach causing his body to be thrown back. To Age's relief, he landed on the padding of the floor. He rubbed his stomach so sure that he had a boot imprint on his stomach. "Master, must you fight me full strength? Isn't there a rule about Padawan abuse?" He grunted as he slowly stood up.
"That wouldn't be any fun Agey." She put the practice saber on her shoulder as she walked to her Padawan. "Plus, you haven't been with me much. You are either studying or got your Lekku in a book." She frowned. "We are supposed to be making a bond between us, can't do that if you are never with me. We are going to be doing missions soon, you need to be ready."
He scoffed "You realize that my Lekku are at my back, I wouldn't be reading backwards." He let out a sigh. "I am trying Master...it has never been easy for me for fighting. Especially with someone who attacks me full force."
She arrived in front of Ageken. She extended her hand and placed it on his head gently. "I know, I see you try. Keep at it, you know you are my first Padawan. I wouldn't want anything to happen to you..." Her hand slowly moved down his jawline. Ageken shivered at her touch and looked up at her. Syrena blinked dropping her hand and stepped back. "That is all for today, I am to meet the Council for my mission. I am told it is something easy for our first mission together, but be ready to leave soon." Master Syrena walked off looking down at the hand that had touched her Padawan.
She closed her eyes and then lowered her hand. She opened her eyes and began to walk faster as the clicking of her boots on the ceramic stones echoed down the hall. Syrena didn't realize until she reached the main hall that she was still holding onto the practice saber. She looked to her right at a Padawan and threw it at him. "Here catch!" She yelled as the Padawan blinked and quickly brought his hands to catch it. "Nice catch." She said walking past him with a smile.
Syrena loathed long lectures. Which, of course, was what she was about to walk into with the Jedi Council. It was odd to get a mission from the Council, especially one that is supposedly routine. She shook her head. "I will never know what they are thinking. I feel like they are on a different level than me." Syrena let out a soft sigh and spoke to one of the Jedi guarding the Council chambers. He did a slight bow and began to open the doors slowly to let Syrena enter. She entered and walked in front of the Council members. She stood there with her hands behind her waiting for the briefing.
This meeting of course took several minutes. The Council assured Syrena that this was a simplistic mission, but as Jedi, they all needed to be prepared for anything to happen. The Council also asked Syrena about her Padawan, and the worries they had for him. She assured the Council that he was learning, more so when he was an initiate, and that under her guidance Ageken would be a Jedi Knight that the Council have never seen. The Council seemed content with the statement, and the meeting was over. Syrena let out a sigh as she walked down the hall to her sleeping quarters. She entered her room, that was pretty simple. Blandly colored, small, and without décor. She began to take her clothes off to settle into bed. She gave a weak flop onto her bed with a grunt. The bed was stiff, nothing like her bed on Shili, her home planet. She let a loud sigh and crawled under the blankets, curling herself with it. She closed her eyes and drifted slowly to sleep, wondering if her Padawan would be ready for a mission. Her last thoughts before falling asleep were positive.