Chapter 4: Accomodation (or is it?)
She had claimed the remotest of beds as her own. Rosh had tken the one between her and Sabrina, for which Jaden was forever thankful; she didn't think she could live so close to that twi'lek. Ten minutes after meeting the girl and she couldn't stand her bickering anymore! This wasn't some hotel on an exotic planet, but a Jedi Academy. Such lazy banthas like her shouldn't have been accepted in the first place!
She sighed and berated herself for having such thoughts. Who was she to judge others? Certainly no jedi master; not even a knight or padawan yet! Although… she still managed to sneak into the still ruined High Temple on Coruscant to find the schematics and components to build her very own lightsaber. The one thing she managed to create with her own two hands and that master had taken it!
What if he'll never give it back to her? Just so that she'll be on par with her fellows?
" Hey Jaden! What's with the pout? 'Something wrong?" Rosh's voice woke her from her trance-like state.
She shook her head clear, then turned to him, lips pressed into a fake smile.
" I'm okay-never been better!" her attitude faltered. " Though that crash and the fights got me tired, dead tired, might I add!" she massaged her temples.
Rosh lifted his brows, yet didn't say anything- prying was not his thing. He understppd her need for a break; hell, he could use one!
Without further ado, he unpacked the rest of his stuff, sorted them into his footlocker, then got a change of clothes and a towel, making his way to the bathroom.
Ten minutes later, having had to endure Sabrina's endless knocking and cursing at the door, he got out, along with waves of steam.
" Finally! That ain't a sauna you idiot! I need to ready myself, in case the call for us!" she spat at him before entering the bathroom, shutting the door with a bang and locking it.
" I swear it on the third Corellian hell that I'll tie your head-tails to the bed if you talk like that again!" he shouted and banged his fist in the door, before going back to his bed.
He frowned, rolled his eyes and paced around the room. It seemed like Jaden had dozed off while he was still showering. Strange thing, given all the ruckus the Gray Primadonna was making. Raltheran, on the other hand, seemed to be reading something.
" Hey man! What's up?" he approached the rodian.
" Hey! Not that I mind, but you should use the word sentient. Some get insulted otherwise!" he answered. Given Rosh's apologetic look, he quickly added: " Just a friendly advice, that's all!" he threw him the datapad. " While you were wasting all the hot water on Yavin IV, Master Katarn- Kyle- sent us our first instructions. We're to go to the cantina in about half an hour!"
" Gee, thanks! I forgot to power up that thing!" he silently ran off to his footlocker, opening the first compartiment and taking the device.
"(Humans are such weird creatures! This one in particular!)" Raltheran spoke to himself in Rodian, before resuming his reading of Yavin System's history.
Rosh eventually read his instructions, nothing too fancy on his datapad. What really did worry him was the incoming ceremony and the appointment of a master. He just didn't wasn't to end up with a jokester like Katarn or a stuck-up conservatory like Master Horrn. But knowing his luck…
Jaden stirred and mumbled something. Rosh turned to look at her and smiled at the sight. Her bob shaped red hair was in disarray, she was sprawled all over the bed, but her face seemed… peaceful, almost serene. Truly, she was beautiful! How lucky of him, to have her as his friend!
A glance at the electronic watch on the datapad told him that they didn't have much time left. As much as he hated doing something like this, he shook Jaden awake, as gently as possible.
" Mother…" she mumbled. "Leave me alone! Go bother my siblings!" she muttered with disdain.
Rosh Penin shook her a little harder and called out her name. This time, she opened her stunning azure eyes and scanned the room.
" Owww!" she rubbed her face. "Must have fallen asleep… where are the Beauty and the Beast?" she asked in confusion.
Penin laughed at the nicknames she gave the others, but then told her on an urgent tone.
"Mess hall. We're due to meet there in about fifteen minutes!" he showed her the datapad. " Better hurry up and get ready!"
With a jump and speed worthy of the Galactic Olympics, she jolted out of the bed and into the bathroom. In less than ten minutes, she was out, drying her hair and combing it into something acceptable.
" Turn around or get out! I have to put some good clothes on!" she told him, to which Rosh nodded with a slight blush and exited the room.
Not too soon after, she joined him. How he had a spare outfit that looked exactly like the other one, he had no idea.
The mess hall was large and deafening. With about sixty new students- almost all of fthem teenagers- plus the twenty jedi knights and jedi masters and the staff of the Academy, it was pretty much crowded.
After taking their respective trays, the pair found themselves a couple of seats, not too far from Raltheran and Sabrina, who welcomed them in their own way.
After a minute of awkawardness, they began talking.
Raltheran confessed that it wasn't his choice to become a jedi, but rather his parents', for they wanted their third son to have a better future than the rest of them, who were forced to take crappy jobs back on Rodia. As a jedi in training, he was entitled to a monthly stipend of 700 credits, half of which he intended to send back home.
Sabrina brushed off what she called his drama and started talking about herself. The gray skinned twi'lek came from a somewhat noble family from Felucia, of which she was the only child- that she knew of, that is. Her life at the palace, as much as she loved it, eventually bored her. She had enough of being overly pampered, told what to do, how to behave, how to respect each and every freaky ritual that the planet inhabitants held as sacred, as well as whom to eventually marry… so when a routine yearly medical analysis found out that her Force Sensitivity had manifested itself, she immediately signed herself on Master Skywalker's Academy. Since the New Jedi Order could overrule any family authority- if the applicant gave his accord- her parents couldn't do anything about it and here she was.
Rosh's story wasn't too different. As he already told Jaden, he was the youngest son of senator Arkus Penin. Because of his family's status, he was treated like a prince, but he hated it. He wanted to prove himself to be capable, to bring honor to his name and his family, not to sit by and let all the doors be opened to him without so much of an effort, or to have all obstacles removed and have everything arranged everytime and everywhere.
Jaden lied about her past, telling them that she was the daughter of a Coruscanti sublevel 3 droid shop owner. It was the reason why she excelled at technical stuff and droids. Plus, one droid that belonged to a jedi probably came into her father's hands one day. He asked her to decode him as he worked on the other models. As she did so, she discovered a set of lightsaber building plans. Awed, she began gathering necessary parts and spent whatever credits she had saved for the purchase of necklace which, without the merchant knowing, was a Force Crystal. She just felt…pulled towards it, as if it was meant for her, so she bought it.
All of them ate the vegetable salad that they were served and drank the fruit juice tankard. Once they were finished, master Katarn rose up, called a bag with the Force, threw it in the air, then all the older jedi used the Force to share the contents to the students: chocolate bars, with a welcoming tag and name of the addressed one.
Students started cheering as they reached for the dessert.
Rosh read the small piece of paper and frowned: "For Rosh Pain-in-the-butt!
Jaden read her aloud: "Your lightsaber is the most valuable weapon; don't lose it!" Master Katarn's way of mocking her, she gritted her teeth, before crushing the paper in her hand.
After they were finished, they were shown the most important facilities of the Academy and right at the end, they were brought into the main meeting area: a great stone hall, with stone steps right at the far end, going up to the windows, through which bright lights entered the room.
Master Skywalker awaited them up there. He turned around and, with a hand gesture, invited them to sit down. The other masters took their rightful places at the beginning of the steps.
The Grandmaster welcome them and started assigning more students to each master, given the low number of jedi as of then,
"…Raltheran, you'll be assigned to master Horrn…Sabrina, you will work with master Kalya…"
"…Rosh Penin, you will work with master Katarn! Jaden Korr, you too will work with master Katarn!"
The two students in question looked at each other dumbfounded and silently cursed whoever out there hated them so much.