Author's Note and Disclaimer: The Star Wars franchise does not belong to the author in any way, shape or form. This is not for profit. The setting begins roughly a hundred years after the Yuuzhan Vong Wars in the New Jedi Order series and summarily ignores any novels that took place afterwards. The plot and characters are all mine.
The Sith Insurgency – Chapter I – Knighthood
The cylinder was black, with vertical silver bands across the center-third and horizontal bands on the bottom-third. Just above the vertical bands was a silver plate that snapped into one of two positions. At the bottom of the cylinder was a port for a maintenance, and at the top was a silver emitter array. Overall, the device was just under four handbreadths in length. Its weight felt entirely too heavy on Rel Dryden's palm.
"Being a Jedi," he repeated from the day's lesson, "means knowing when to put another's needs before his own. It means a life of sacrifice." The lightsaber hilt lifted into the air over his palm. "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." The hilt began a flat spin, end over end, slowly accelerating. His mind struggled to grasp the ramifications of the Code and what he was expected to do with his life. They wanted him to put the needs of the Galaxy first, as a diplomat, as a judge, and as a soldier. Jedi were the marshals of the Galaxy, and Rel was on his way to becoming one of the best.
He reached into the air and snatched the lightsaber, mid-spin. "I don't want this." Attached to his belt were three compartments. One contained his communicator, another a multi-tool and cord, and the third contained his binocs. He opened the last compartment and removed the binocs. They were designed to help see over long distances, but Rel's corrective visor accomplished the same task. He lined up his lightsaber with the center of the binocs and switched on the blade.
There was a snap-hiss and the energy blade snapped to life, but only for an instant. A lightsaber-sized hole was formed in the binocs, and Rel put the hilt inside. It was a sufficient hiding place, at least for the short term. No one knew he had built his own lightsaber, and Rel was content to keep its construction secret.
He looked up from his work, towards the ledge and forest around him. Planet Dovac was the current home of the Jedi Praxeum, the central training facility for the Jedi Order. There were enclaves and safe havens spread across the Galaxy, but Dovac served as a hub of Jedi activity that was second only to Coruscant. Although thousands of Jedi passed through Dovac every year, remarkably few wandered the wilderness.
Rel searched the area for a place to put his binocs. There, he decided, just over the ledge. He dropped down to the ground and crawled to the edge of the cliff. There was a ingress a half-meter below. It was deep enough for Rel to wedge the binoc case in place. Rain erosion could knock the binocs out of place, but he was willing to risk it. Besides, he was unsure he ever wanted to recover the weapon.
Once the binocs and lightsaber were safely hidden away, Rel climbed to his feet and headed back to the Praxeum Campus. It was time to confront his teacher, and to explain that he did not want to be a Jedi Knight.
XxxxX
Quaad Roke was a red-haired human known for his mastery of Form X lightsaber combat. Jar'Kai, a weapon style that used two lightsabers, was perfected into flawless elegance when Quaad drew both blades. He was also known for his ability to work on multiple tasks at the same time. When Rel walked in, Quaad was writing a political analysis for the Council while playing a game of chess against a droid.
Quaad looked up from the game, his right hand still busy at work typing the report. "Apprentice Rel," he greeted with a smile that lit his eyes. "I have excellent news. The Council has agreed that it is time for you to begin your Trials. Your first task, of course, will be to create a new lightsaber. Go to Master Sokel to collect a lightsaber crystal. He will be the one to judge your performance."
Rel opened his mouth to speak, and then realized he had been summarily dismissed from Quaad's attention. The Jedi Knight was already back in the game. The Apprentice squashed his misgivings and decided to do as he was told. Quaad had been like a father to him for the past several years, and the last thing he wanted was to disappoint his master.
Jedi Master Corran Sokel awaited Rel in the workshop. He greeted Rel with a slight bow. "Welcome, Apprentice."
Rel bowed deeply in response, as was polite and expected. "Master Sokel. "
"Your Master speaks very highly of you, Apprentice, as does Usahn Risohr." Usahn Risohr was a sluissi, a reptilian sentient whose incredible speed helped make him the most gifted Weapon Instructor at the Praxeum. The sluissi Jedi Master insisted that Rel take extra time practicing with the lightsaber, at first because he found combat more difficult then others, and later because he expressed incredible talent. "Despite your slow start, both say you have an exceptional ability to improvise. This makes me very curious as to which path you will take as a Jedi. Will you take up the role of the Guardian and a focus on physical skills; or perhaps a Sentinel, a specialist tasked with hunting Dark Jedi and rogue Jedi; or maybe you are best suited to be a Consular, who calls upon a wide array of Force abilities and a more thorough education?"
"If I were to be a Knight," Rel began, still unsure of himself. There was still a large part of him that wanted to scream out, "I don't want to be a Jedi!" Instead, he continued, "I would choose the path of a Consular." Guardians were called in for more violent situations, and Sentinels lived in doubt and suspicion. He was not a violent person, and there was something about the path of a Consular that appealed to him. The doubt remained.
"Very well," said Master Sokel. He must have mistaken Rel's emotions for mere lack of confidence. Quite the contrary, Rel was certain that he would succeed any Trials thrown in his direction. The Jedi Master handed Rel a smooth, green crystal. "Please, begin. You will be judged on function of the blade and practicality of the grip. Many Apprentices make the mistake of elaborate grips for their first lightsaber, and fail to create a steady energy blade. I do not expect you to make the same error."
Rel accepted the crystal and started at the work bench. He chose a basic silver cylinder as the frame for his new weapon, and made a ribbed grip out of artificial leather. The blade emitter was of lower quality than his first weapon, and so the overall power output would be less. The focusing lens and energy cell, however, were much better made. Once the energy cell was charged, he inserted the components into the casing and sealed the access port. The activator was identical to his other lightsaber, and it felt natural when he switched the blade on. A green lightsaber blade snapped into existence with perfect consistency. He switched off the weapon and handed it to Master Sokel for inspection.
The Jedi Master wore an amused smile as he looked over the blade. "Well done, Apprentice. Get some rest. Whenever you are ready, head to Obstacle Course 23. Your objective will be to complete the course in under five minutes. I understand your current record is at ten minutes and change, so you have your work cut out for you."
XxxxX
Despite Master Sokel's words, Course 23 was not so difficult. He had never attempted to rush through the course, at least not since his first attempt. In his rush, it had actually taken him longer to finish. After a few tries, his time dropped from twenty minutes to twelve minutes. Now he had to cut the time in less than half. He ran the course at full speed, and managed at four minutes and seventeen seconds.
"Impressive display of Force Abilities, Apprentice," said Master Sokel. "However, you are not done yet. See Master Mau Varuuk in the Council Chamber. He will have the details of your final Trial."
XxxxX
Master Varuuk was an adarian, a species that had bald, elongated heads that seemed to curl. There was a visible hole through the sides of the head towards the top, and sometimes Rel had to fight not to stare. "Apprentice Dryden. There is a situation that I believe you are uniquely equipped to handle. One of our younger students has gotten herself into trouble, and she has violently repelled any attempts to retrieve her. You are tasked with retrieving Apprentice Perhi Niseer."
XxxxX
With wide eyes, he watched Perhi run out of the cave. He had... She was fourteen years old. She was fourteen, he reminded himself. Despite her maturity, despite the fact that fourteen year-olds married in other human cultures, Perhi was too young to know what her words meant. Or perhaps she was right. Rel was more confused than she, when she ran out of the cave. Would she return to the Praxeum, or would she find passage off-world? She was close to the Dark Side and Rel's words might have driven her over the edge.
Rel wandered through Dovac's wilderness, unaware of his destination. The Force must have guided him, because he eventually came across Quaad Roke.
"How was your task?" Quaad asked, innocently. His question proved that he knew what had happened, yet there was no judgment in his tone.
"I feel more miserable than ever." It was the most honest answer Rel could have given, but the truth of it made him feel worse.
"The Council chose Trials that would help you develop your confidence and show that you are truly capable."
"Did they know that Perhi was in love with me?" he snapped. Of course they did. It took great skill to hide emotions from a Jedi, even an Apprentice like Rel Dryden. He had known about Perhi's crush, but chose to ignore it. She was just a little girl, after all. When she confessed in the cave, he treated her like an adult – but she was not one. Or perhaps her anger was one of the differences between men and women.
"Our own emotions are the greatest danger a Jedi can face in the Galaxy. The Council will assess how you handled yourself when confronted with such strong feelings, and then they will decide whether or not you are ready to be called a Knight. Once you have collected yourself, return to the Praxeum and–"
"No, Master." Rel unclipped his lightsaber and threw it at Quaad, who caught the hilt. "The Council purposefully manipulated the emotions of that girl. This could have been solved any number of ways, but they purposefully chose the one that was most painful for... a test. I don't know what will happen to Perhi now. All I know is that I have had enough of the Jedi Order. We don't have the right to do what we do – play Judge and Executioner all over the Galaxy, and rule over the people like we do."
Quaad was shocked by the outburst. What surprised him most was that none of the words were spoken out of anger. There was the initial outburst, of course, but Rel Dryden had control over his emotions. The words came from a place of calm and clarity that Quaad envied, even as he knew that Rel was wrong. "Do not make this decision, Rel. I implore you."
"The Jedi raised me since I was eleven, and I appreciate everything they have done. I am entitled to disagree with their approach."
"The Galaxy needs us," Quaad countered. "Corruption, crime, violence... we stand against all of those things."
"The Jedi have lost sight of their mortality, Master. They have become too powerful."
"Because you had to break a girl's heart? Rel, do not exaggerate!"
Excuses were not going to be enough. Rel was compelled to tell the whole story, and state his strongest claim against the Jedi. He spoke with desperation that came from a very real problem, even though everyone around him was blind. "There is a civil war coming, Master – and the Council is too blind to see it. I didn't train to become a warrior, I wanted to be a healer! We have met healers who came from war zones. Do you have any idea how much pain they suffered? Many of them were worse than the soldiers! The more I see of the Council's behavior, the more I am certain that another Sith War is moments away. I'm leaving the Order before they drag me into their mess."
"You have a responsibility," Quaad said as his Apprentice walked off. "You are a Jedi Knight, a protector of peace. If there is going to be a war, then it is your duty to fight on the side of right and justice. Don't run away from your responsibilities, Rel."
Rel stopped for a moment. There was no regret in his voice when he said goodbye to Quaad Roke and the Jedi Order.