Chapter 1

The young redhead Zabrak was hiking. It was a strange thing to be doing, considering that only a few hours remained till, arguably, the most important moment of her life, but she needed some time alone to clear her head. She found a small clearing, stopped, and raised her face towards the early sun, enjoying every drop of it, and then sat on the ledge, not caring if her padawan tunic would get dirty. It was a moment of joy. And it`s not like she will ever wear it again. Not after today. Not after yesterday, when she was finally allowed to enter the Forge - and she came out victorious. Not actually victorious, since there was no fight, but she was able to control herself and forge this. Her green eyes turned to her belt. She still could not believe how beautiful it was. Probably only for her, but she did not care. Despite being simple in design, and what most people would call standard, it was hers.

Her own lightsaber. A symbol of mastering herself. She stood at the forge for Force know how many hours, but she was able to control herself, even that aspect that her Master called "daydreaming tendencies." She won. It was hers. She was about to become a Jedi Knight.

It hadn't been easy for her. She was one of the first raised on Tython, and she was born before those cruel rules about Jedi and relationships were changed. Some masters looked at her differently for that. She was not even technically born to Jedi - her parents were only padawans. Long story, short, she was a mistake that cost her parents the future they were taught to strive for, from their very birth. But she didn't care. Life was good for her, and despite her own master being strict and hard on her, he never held her family story against her.

"There is no emotion, there is peace." She loved that line. She understood it differently than most. There is no bad emotion, there is peace. She wanted to jump and scream her happiness to the every rock, animal or plant of the world, but she was at peace. Hell, she would even hug one of those stinking Raiders right now.

But she was at peace. She loved that planet, she called it home for most of her life. With every stupid adventure, with every stupid history lesson, or with her stu...well actually quite fun and understanding master. For a Master that is. And no one encouraged her more in her belief that she would succeed when this day came, which did not stop him from scolding her every time she skipped a lesson or was not focused on her saber training. He was also kind of cute. For a human, that is. She quickly pushed that thought aside.

This day was so beautiful. It was sunny, with a few small clouds, and the gentle wind touched her face with a myriad of small kisses. She could feel all the wildlife around her, who in his right mind could wish for more? Sure, she knew that she would visit places nowhere near as nice as this, but who cares? She will be a Jedi Knight. A strong, beautiful, horned and compassionate Jedi Knight. And maybe… some day, a Master herself? For sure she will not have a stick up her ass, like most of them! She will not punish a group of curious kids for going into the wild trying to steal some of the Flesh Raiders' moonshine. Especially not after knowing how it tastes. No Sir! The beating they receive as the surprisingly upset Raiders "escort" them to the Temple should be enough. Levitating four rocks for hours, while the hangover kicked in, that's just cruel. She would never do that to her padawans.

Erri looked at the sun, knowing she should be moving, as she barely had time to get back the same way she got here. But what would be the fun in that? She pushed herself over the edge sliding on her legs, then, when her momentum got too hard to control, she put her left hand to the ground, just to get more pushing power and jumped to the rock ledge, stepping on it for a fraction of a second, before jumping down, keeping perfect balance as she slid further. The Force was with her, and at this very moment, she could swear that it was singing in every cell of her body. Every jump, every root that she grabbed helping her slow down before a particularly nasty rock, was perfect. When she missed one ledge with her hand just by few inches, which sent her sliding on her ass covering her tunic and face in dirt and mud, she embraced it, and burst to her legs landed a few meters away, gasping for air, now just over the path to the temple. She ignored the bruises and small scratches she got on her hands. They did not matter. Not at this time, Not at this moment.

She jumped down, helping her landing with the Force, and immediately turned back showing her tongue to the cliff. Then she tried to cover her smile, trying to put a serious face on herself, the type of face she felt was appropriate for a Jedi Knight, like she was holding the weight of the galaxy on her shoulders, just in case she met any Padawans along the way. She still wore the same tunic as them, but her lightsaber and facial expression should make them know that she is attending to "crucial Jedi matters." Trying to fight the happy laughter in her head, she kept walking, hoping silently that she will meet at least one of them. Hopefully, it would be Bri`Win. He bested her the last time when they sparred, but he was still months away from his trials. Who will be laughing now? Granted, the Masters punished him for gloating and he had no idea she took her own trials. That will make it even better. No. Hubris was not the Jedi way. If she sees him, she will offer encouragement and help. With no pride whatsoever. And she will definitely not smile while doing so. Not even though she could still see his smug smile, as she messed up a Su-ma rotation, landing flat on her butt. There is no passion, there is serenity. Yes. That what she will be. Serene.

With that though, she started on the path towards the temple, keeping a concerned face, while everything inside her wanted to sing, scream and dance. Today she will be a Knight!