Legacy of an Onasi
Early Days
"I'm scared..." Cardek whispered.
"You'll do just fine, Cardek." Sinube assured.
The Cosian Jedi was walking down the hallways of the Jedi Temple with the little human boy following him, the latter now adorning Jedi Initiate robes. Cardek walked beside the Master Jedi with a very nervous expression on his face, fiddling his fingers together as a sign. Sinube easily saw this, and put his hand reassuringly on the boy's shoulder.
"Don't be so nervous." Sinube told him.
"What if I'm not good enough?" Cardek asked worriedly. "What if I can't be one of these Jedi?"
"Well, if you couldn't be a Jedi, then the Council wouldn't have accepted you, now would they?" Sinube stated lightheartedly; Cardek was still unconvinced. "Cardek, you are strong with the Force, the Council see it, and so do I."
"But..." Cardek tried to argue.
"And your mother was confident as well in you." the Cosian reminded him. "She had full faith in your abilities to succeed as a Jedi, so much faith that she saw a hero in you one day, and let go of her attachments to let us train you. She had faith in you, so have faith in yourself."
"...Maybe..." Cardek said quietly.
"Besides, it takes years for someone to become even Padawan, and no one is going to become a Jedi on the first day." Sinube explained. "Just do your best and you'll be fine."
Cardek nodded in understanding, but Sinube easily saw that he was still unsure of himself. Taking the hand of the new Initiate, the Jedi Master led Cardek further down the halls, the boy in absolute silence the rest of the way. Eventually they reached the doors to their destination, which opened up as they entered the room. It was a circular room, it's marble floor of intricate design, with windows surrounding it from all sides, allowing sunglight to fill the room. But what Cardek's attention immdiately, was that there were about ten other younglings, ranging in species, wearing the same initiate robes as he was, all holding training lightsabers. Yoda, Grand Master of the Jedi Order, turned from the younglings to Sinube and Cardek.
"Ah, greetings, Master Sinube." Yoda greeted. "New student, you have for us?"
"Yes, I do, old friend." Sinube nodded; he bent down to Cardek. "Go on, introduce yourself."
While Cardek was a nervous wreck inside, he knew there was no other thing to do and once again nodded at the elder Jedi. Taking a moment to gather some courage, he took a step foward, trying to stay strong under that gazes of the other Jedi Initiates.
"M-my name is C-Cardek Onasi..." Cardek announced shakily. "I-It's nice to meet you all."
"Pleasure to meet you as well, it is." Yoda replied.
"Well, I guess it is time for me to take my leave." Sinube stated; he leaned towards Cardek. "Relax, quell your fears, and everything will be alright. I promise."
And with those wise words spoken, the elder Jedi left the room, offering Cardek a final smile, with the boy in question staring back at his fleeting figure, wanting him to stay by his side. Slowly, he turned his way back towards Yoda and the other younglings.
"Come, your place among the others, please take." Yoda offered.
With a slow nod, Cardek walked into the group of younglings. He quickly found a spot next to a Togruta, and stood right by her. He kept his head down, wanting for Yoda to start the training quickly, but he felt something bearing at him, which prompted him to turn his head towards the Togruta. Appearing perhaps a little under a year younger than him, she wore the same initiate robes as he did, except they were a shade of brown. She had white markings over eyebrows, on her forehead, and her cheeks, blue stripes around her three head tails, but what interested Cardek was her eyes. She had beautiful ocean blue eyes, which calmed Cardek down completely as they looked at each other. The Togruta then proceeded to smile at him, which warmed Cardek to his heart and gave him some confidence.
"Hello." the Togruta said nicely. "My name is Ahsoka Tano. It's nice to meet you."
"I-It's nice to meet you too." Cardek replied hastily. "I'm Cardek Onasi...wait, I already said that."
Ahsoka giggled at what he said, and the sound of it eased Cardek completely as it made Cardek smile back at her. For some reason, he was beginning to grow a bit fond of this girl.
"You're funny." Ahsoka stated happily. "I hope we can be friends."
Cardek couldn't help but find that idea to be wonderful, and nodded cheerfully, before turning his attention back towards Master Yoda, who walked into the center of the younglings.
"Time to resume our lesson, it is." Yoda stated. "Initiate Tano, bring young Cardek up to where we are, will you?"
"Yes, Master Yoda." Ahsoka bowed respectfully; she turned to the boy. "We were being taught about the Force itself, and how to feel it around us. And we were also..."
As Ahsoka explained the terms of today's lessons to him, Cardek began to feel at peace with himself for the first time since he arrived here. He didn't know why, but he was sure that Ahsoka was a major reason...
A couple of hour laters, the morning lessons ended, and after a meditating session, Yoda lead the younglings towards the refectories for their midday meal, and as they were walking, Ahsoka walked up to Cardek.
"You caught on so quickly!" Ahsoka stated impressed. "You're really good at this!"
"Ah, I wouldn't say that." Cardek said embarassed. "I wouldn't have caught on if it weren't for your help."
"But you were so good, you probably didn't even need it." Ahsoka pouted.
"You were good as well!" Cardek retorted. "You helped me learn the things I didn't understand! You were really helpful!"
"Wow, I really like that." Ahsoka smiled. "Thanks!"
Cardek smiled as well, any sort of nervousness he possessed at the beginning was all gone, thanks to this girl. Grinning from ear to ear, he continued to talk to his new Togruta friend as they walked to the refectories. And watching from afar was Tera Sinube, who couldn't help but grin at what he saw.
"It seems young Cardek is already making friends on his first day." Sinube stated satisfyingly. "I just hope he learns to be more confident in himself in the future."
7 Years Later
"Cardek! Slow down!" Sinube shouted.
"Not a chance!" Cardek said excitingly. "This is way too much fun!"
Sinube could do nothing but hold onto his seat as Cardek flew the speeder through the traffic of Coruscant at intense high speeds. The elder Jedi was able to take a moment to look at the young Jedi as they raced through the skyscrapers of the planet. Cardek has significantly grown in the past seven years, being a bit taller then Sinube. He now had short brown hair, with a braid of hair running from the back of his head down his shoulder, now sporting a bang over his eye. He still wore the tan Initiate Jedi robes as when he was younger, but any shyness he as a child was gone...as evident by the events of now.
"Cardek, slow down!" Sinube once again pleaded. "You're going to get us killed at this rate!'
"Ah, stop worrying so much, Master!" Cardek smirked. "I have everything under control!"
Cardek swerved his way around all the traffic with ease, yet the speed did nothing to calm down Sinube. Cardek then made a hard right, along with a suddenly flying towards the sky. The young Jedi laughed joyously while Sinube held on to dear life as he started to slow down on his acscent, but when he fully stopped, the speeder tilted downward, and Cardek accelerated at high speeds downward, the wind blowing against his hair as he once again flew across the buildings of Coruscant.
"Cardek, slow down!" Sinube exclaimed. "Driving at these speeds is unnecesary! Plus, we need to get back to the Temple, and I would like to do that at a slow pace!"
Cardek sighed, conceding to the elder Jedi's wishes, slowing down the speeder and making a way back to the Jedi Temple. The young Jedi saw Sinube's stern look, one he did not give often to others, yet often to him, and just smirked at it.
"Why did I let you take a speeder out to Coruscant again?" Sinube asked.
"Because I asked...no, actually begged to do so." Cardek stated nonchalantly. "You know how much I love flying, and you were here to supervise me, weren't you?"
"But the fact that you simply flew around Coruscant so recklessly at such high speeds was completely dangerous!" Sinube scolded. "You have to slow down to see clearly, or we'll pay the consequences.!"
"But we're still in one piece, aren't we?" Cardek chuckled.
"What happened to the shy little boy all those years ago?" Sinube questioned thoughtfully.
"He got stronger." Cardek stated with a smile.
Sinube could not help but smile as well as Cardek turned the speeder towards the direction of the Jedi Temple A while later, Cardek perfectly landed on one of the platforms next to one of the entrances. Jumping out of driver's seat, he walked over to Sinube's seat and proceededto help him out of the speeder.
"I have to admit..." Sinube stated. "...For an eleven year-old boy, you hav very impressive piloting skills. You handled the speeder very well."
"I'm just a natural at flying ships." Cardek replied. "I've always had a knack for piloting. I guess it's just in my blood."
"Hmmm, I see." Sinube nodded. "Well, it's time for you to run along. Your midday lessons will be starting soon."
"Thank for the heads up." Cardek said gratefully. "I'll see you later, Master."
The young Onasi gave a final wave to his elderly friend before running into the Jedi Temple. He looked around for a bit before making his way to his way to his classroom. But as he made a right turn down the hallways, he was suddenly knocked down to the ground on his behind.
"There you are!" a female voice said angrily.
Cardek looked upward, and could not help but smile as he gazed upon his best friend, Ahsoka Tano. The 10 year-old Togruta Jedi had her hands on her hips as she looked down at Cardek with angry expression.
"Where have you been!" Ahoka scolded. "I have been looking everywhere for you!"
"Sorry, Ahsoka." Cardek chuckled. "I was having a little joyride out on Coruscant."
"A joyride?" Ahsoka asked.
"Yeah, a Jedi Master allowed me to take a speeder and fly around a bit, under his supervision of course." Cardek explained; he then began to whisper to her. "But no one knows about it yet, so don't tell anyone yet."
"My lips are sealed." Ahsoka smiled. "Now come on. Our lessons are about to start."
Ahsoka held his hand out towards the sittng Cardek, who gladly took hold of it. She pulled him up to his feet, and they made their way down the halls. And as they walked, Cardek took the moment to look at Ahsoka, and could not pull away when he did. His eyes examined her body, her every feature, her beautiful head-tails, and thought of her recklessness, confidence, and determination helped him be overcome his own insecurities and fears with himself. His felt his heartbeat go faster as he continue to be enthralled with her, until she turned his head towards him, which had him immediately turn his head, a blush forming on his face.
"Is something wrong?" Ahsoka asked.
"...No." Cardek replied calmly, hiding his emotions. "I'm fine. I don't know what gave you the impression."
Ahsoka eyed him suspiciously before simply shrugging and turning her focus back to in front of her. And once she did, Cardek gritted his teeth in frustration as he shut his eyes closed, scolding himself inwardly.
"Damn it!" Cardek thought angrily. "I nearly got caught! Why did I let that happen? Why do I even feel this way in the first place? It's obvious she doesn't feel the same way for me." He sighed inwardly. "But she's so amazing, so beautiful, how can I NOT feel this way! Argh, I'm so confused...What are these...emotions?...Well, it doesn't matter in the end, does it? I'll take these feelings, whatever they are, to my grave. That's how it will be."
Reinforcing himself within, he took a deep breath, and gave a smile to Ahsoka, who returned it fully. Turning away, the smile became a bit sad, as he walked by his friend to their next class, ready to learn more.
3 Years Later
"The time has finally come, hasn't it, Master?" Cardek asked softly.
"Yes, it has Cardek." Sinube confirmed.
The elder Jedi Master and the young Onasi stood upon a balcony overseeing Coruscant in the Jedi Temple. Cardek Onasi, now 14 years old, leaned on the railing, his short brown hair being blown by the wind, another bang having been added to the one he already had over his eye, and his Jedi robes were now a shade of orange as well. He looked thoughtfully out into the sky, Master Sinube joining him by his side.
"Today is the annual Apprentice Tournament." Sinube stated. "Are you ready?"
"Of course I am!" Cardek smirked confidently. "I'm going to win it for sure!
"Now Cardek, the whole point of the Tournament is not to win, but to show your skills to the Masters so you can prove yourself worthy of being their Padawan." Sinube explained.
"But doesn't winning the whole thing actually make me a Padawan?" Cardek assumed.
"Don't be so quick to presume, Cardek." Sinube stated. "The Masters are the ones who decide who their apprentices will be. You may win the tournament, but they could be impressed by others more so than you, and take them instead."
"Then I guess I'll have to go all out then." Cardek stated determinedly; an idea popped up in his head. "Hey! How about you take me in as your apprentice? I can't believe I didn't think of that sooner."
"That would bring great joy to my heart no doubt." Sinube smiled. "But...you are now the type of person who wants to go out on to the field. The one who wants to go for adventure, action, and helping those in need. I'm too old for that anymore, haven't left the Temple in years. So that's why you would be better off with a different Master, but whoever that may be...he couldn't have a better apprentice."
"Thank you, Master Sinube." Cardek said gratefully, hugging the Jedi. "You've been like a father to me, one of my closest friends. You've taught me much, and been there when I needed it the most. So I thank you for all you've done. And now...now it's time to knock some Masters out of their seats."
"Give it your all, Cardek." Sinube stated with faith. "And remember, let your opponent make the first move."
Cardek nodded in understanding, walking out of the balcony with a purpose towards the Sparring Arena for the tournament. He stopped for a moment, and took one lasting look at his old friend before heading out for the Apprentice Tournament.
A/N: There you go! The first chapter of Legacy of an Onasi! Remember to give me some feedback and reviews about the story in general and characters in general. Also, I would also like some suggestions for some scenarios in the Clone Wars I could use in the future. Any help would be appreciated. Also, if you want to let me use some OCs for the Apprentice Tournament in the next chapter, I would be glad to use them. Just give me a bio, and I'll use them to the fullest. So until next time readers, thank you for reading!