CHAPTER ONE
Aro-Ken Rumos pulled the thick length of black cloth down, making sure it covered his eyes. Turning around, he tightly grasped his lightsaber. He stood in the middle of a square made by four black, square posts that were about shoulder height on him.
Aro-Ken knew he wasn't supposed to be up, but he hadn't been able to sleep.
He knew that the noise he would be making shortly wouldn't alert anyone, despite how sound echoed in it. The huge training room was soundproofed all the way around.
Aro-Ken was nearly thirteen, and his build was muscular even for such a young age. His skin was tan, and his short brown hair matched it. His intense ice-blue eyes calmly looked at the blindfold. He could make out nothing in the room, and he knew that was the whole point of the blindfold.
His long brown robe lay discarded on the floor. He was clothed in plain black pants and a white shirt that went about halfway down his thighs. Around his waist there was an ordinary belt.
He stood still, tense and ready, keeping in mind what several of the masters at the Jedi Temple always said. "The Force is your ally. Use it wisely."
Aro-Ken jammed his thumb on the ignite button on the lightsaber he held, and the blue blade shot out with a snap-hiss sound.
It was his lightsaber. Aro-Ken preferred to use it rather than the training lightsabers the Temple provided for its students. They were too weak, and only produced a quick burn when you struck someone with them. No, for this task he would definitely need the lightsaber he had constructed two years ago.
Almost instantly, he heard a shot from behind him. He spun around and used the Force. It told him where the bolt was, where to put the lightsaber to deflect it. He obeyed his instincts as he had been taught to do in his past two and a half years living in the Jedi Temple.
His move was rewarded with the crackling sound of the laser hitting his red lightsaber.
Aro-Ken grinned confidently. Your move, he silently said to the computer controlling the machine.
Another blast, this time to his left, and Aro-Ken faced it in an instant. He swung the lightsaber, not too hard, but hard enough to alter the laser's path.
This is all too easy, Aro-Ken said to himself. He hardly had to try, but then again this was level one.
Another shot, another deflection.
The instant he heard the shot, Aro-Ken was facing it, using the Force to position his blade and hit the bolt aside. He spun and whirled about so fast he would look like a blur to anyone watching.
Then, he heard two simultaneous blasts from behind him, and Aro-Ken knew he had reached the second level.
The young Jedi was there, the Force telling him how to angle the blade to deflect both shots at once.
Then there were two shots, one right after the other, both coming from opposite sides of the square.
Aro-Ken hit one and pivoted on one foot to get the other.
A few more shots of two, and then there were three shots being fired at once.
As the three bolts came towards him, Aro-Ken turned his body, hit one with his lightsaber, and then kept turning. The lightsaber hit the other two bolts as well.
As he spun about, the blue blade seemed to be everywhere at once.
As another three shots came at him, one at his back and the other two towards his chest, he quickly put the lightsaber over his head and then behind his back. He was rewarded with the cracking sound of the bolt hitting the saber.
Aro-Ken then brought the lightsaber in front of him, holding it horizontally, and the other two lasers hit it.
He grinned as he spun around, hitting two more shots.
Then came four shots. This is where Aro-Ken always had trouble. He had made it to this level several times before, but had never once managed to beat it.
He spun around, pivoted, and occasionally jumped to avoid the blasts, but found he was doing nowhere near as well as he could do on the other three levels.
He suddenly felt a sharp pain on his right thigh. He yelped not in pain, but in surprise. The training modules were never set at high power unless one of the masters wished to practice with them.
Another hit his shoulder, and one square in the chest. He was losing focus, and becoming very irritated with the machine.
Aro-Ken fought his anger, knowing he had to keep it under control. That had been the main thing that the masters had tried to work with him on during his years at the Temple.
Aro-Ken still tried to block the shots, but suddenly found that now that he wasn't concentrating on the shots as he should be, he could feel his exhaustion. His muscles were starting to burn, and sweat soaked through his clothes.
All of the sudden, just as a laser hit him in the side of his neck, there was a sound of whining, humming machinery, and the blasts stopped.
Aro-Ken switched off the lightsaber, and pulled off the blindfold. He found Mya-Rau Tamia, one of the masters, standing there.
"Aro-Ken Rumos. I should have known it was you," she said. Mya-Rau was a tall, lanky woman who had golden blond hair and twinkling emerald green eyes. She was probably the only Jedi in the universe who could win an argument Jax Dondora. Where most Jedi would call him Aro-Ken, Mya-Rau always used his full name. It was the same for all other Jedi in the Temple.
"Um… Sorry, Mistress Tamia, I couldn't sleep," said Aro-Ken, hoping it could save him.
"Yes, Aro-Ken Rumos, I can see that," Mya-Rau calmly said. Mya-Rau had facial features that were impossible to read. You could never tell just what she was thinking.
"I, uh… I was using my time to enhance my skills, though," Aro-Ken said.
Mya-Rau only nodded.
"And I made it to the third level in less than ten minutes. That's a new record," Aro-Ken offered.
"I know, and I congratulate you," Mya-Rau said, nodding at him once more.
Now Aro-Ken knew Mistress Tamia was playing with him, teasing him as he knew she commonly did with other Jedi. She was like a felinx, playing with its prey before scaring it to death or killing it herself. At the moment, Aro-Ken couldn't tell if she was amused, angry, shocked, or all three at once.
"Tell me, Aro-Ken, are you scared?" she asked.
It was his move, and Aro-Ken had no idea what to do. "Um… Yes, I suppose I am, but just a little." This had to be the most confusing conversation of his life. He was trying to be truthful, but not appear weak at the same time.
Her move. "Well, what do you have to say?"
What kind of move was that? The confused boy thought for a moment, "Um… I'm sorry." He waited, but received no reply. He tried again. "I'm very sorry?" he offered.
"I'm afraid sorry won't do it now," Mya-Rau said.
Aro-Ken saw a smile forming at the corners of his mouth. She was amused now. Very amused.
He looked up for a moment, trying to think of something to say. At last he sighed. "You win."
"I accept your surrender, Aro-Ken Rumos. Allow me to accompany you back to your quarters," Mya-Rau said, allowing her smile to fully come onto her face. "You are quite an amusing opponent, Aro-Ken Rumos. I wish I had discovered that sooner," said Mya-Rau, smiling at him as they walked down the halls.
"Yes, I will do my best to amuse you next time we meet," Aro-Ken said as she walked alongside him down the hallways.
"Tell me, Aro-Ken Rumos, have you ever heard of the Jedi Master Del-Mon Wesia?"
"Yes, I have heard his name before. Rumor around here has it that he is the best Jedi Knight who isn't on the Council. Why do you ask?"
"Because he is coming tomorrow to the Temple to search for what will be his third apprentice. His most recent pupil, Qui-Gon Jinn, has just been accepted at a Jedi Knight." With regret in her eyes, Mya-Rau added, "It may be your last chance to be accepted before your birthday."
He had almost forgotten! If he wasn't a Padawan by the time he turned thirteen, in one month, he was never going to become one!
Aro-Ken took off running for his room, deciding to get all the sleep he could. He would have to be well rested if he wished to become a Padawan the next day.
Aro-Ken Rumos pulled the thick length of black cloth down, making sure it covered his eyes. Turning around, he tightly grasped his lightsaber. He stood in the middle of a square made by four black, square posts that were about shoulder height on him.
Aro-Ken knew he wasn't supposed to be up, but he hadn't been able to sleep.
He knew that the noise he would be making shortly wouldn't alert anyone, despite how sound echoed in it. The huge training room was soundproofed all the way around.
Aro-Ken was nearly thirteen, and his build was muscular even for such a young age. His skin was tan, and his short brown hair matched it. His intense ice-blue eyes calmly looked at the blindfold. He could make out nothing in the room, and he knew that was the whole point of the blindfold.
His long brown robe lay discarded on the floor. He was clothed in plain black pants and a white shirt that went about halfway down his thighs. Around his waist there was an ordinary belt.
He stood still, tense and ready, keeping in mind what several of the masters at the Jedi Temple always said. "The Force is your ally. Use it wisely."
Aro-Ken jammed his thumb on the ignite button on the lightsaber he held, and the blue blade shot out with a snap-hiss sound.
It was his lightsaber. Aro-Ken preferred to use it rather than the training lightsabers the Temple provided for its students. They were too weak, and only produced a quick burn when you struck someone with them. No, for this task he would definitely need the lightsaber he had constructed two years ago.
Almost instantly, he heard a shot from behind him. He spun around and used the Force. It told him where the bolt was, where to put the lightsaber to deflect it. He obeyed his instincts as he had been taught to do in his past two and a half years living in the Jedi Temple.
His move was rewarded with the crackling sound of the laser hitting his red lightsaber.
Aro-Ken grinned confidently. Your move, he silently said to the computer controlling the machine.
Another blast, this time to his left, and Aro-Ken faced it in an instant. He swung the lightsaber, not too hard, but hard enough to alter the laser's path.
This is all too easy, Aro-Ken said to himself. He hardly had to try, but then again this was level one.
Another shot, another deflection.
The instant he heard the shot, Aro-Ken was facing it, using the Force to position his blade and hit the bolt aside. He spun and whirled about so fast he would look like a blur to anyone watching.
Then, he heard two simultaneous blasts from behind him, and Aro-Ken knew he had reached the second level.
The young Jedi was there, the Force telling him how to angle the blade to deflect both shots at once.
Then there were two shots, one right after the other, both coming from opposite sides of the square.
Aro-Ken hit one and pivoted on one foot to get the other.
A few more shots of two, and then there were three shots being fired at once.
As the three bolts came towards him, Aro-Ken turned his body, hit one with his lightsaber, and then kept turning. The lightsaber hit the other two bolts as well.
As he spun about, the blue blade seemed to be everywhere at once.
As another three shots came at him, one at his back and the other two towards his chest, he quickly put the lightsaber over his head and then behind his back. He was rewarded with the cracking sound of the bolt hitting the saber.
Aro-Ken then brought the lightsaber in front of him, holding it horizontally, and the other two lasers hit it.
He grinned as he spun around, hitting two more shots.
Then came four shots. This is where Aro-Ken always had trouble. He had made it to this level several times before, but had never once managed to beat it.
He spun around, pivoted, and occasionally jumped to avoid the blasts, but found he was doing nowhere near as well as he could do on the other three levels.
He suddenly felt a sharp pain on his right thigh. He yelped not in pain, but in surprise. The training modules were never set at high power unless one of the masters wished to practice with them.
Another hit his shoulder, and one square in the chest. He was losing focus, and becoming very irritated with the machine.
Aro-Ken fought his anger, knowing he had to keep it under control. That had been the main thing that the masters had tried to work with him on during his years at the Temple.
Aro-Ken still tried to block the shots, but suddenly found that now that he wasn't concentrating on the shots as he should be, he could feel his exhaustion. His muscles were starting to burn, and sweat soaked through his clothes.
All of the sudden, just as a laser hit him in the side of his neck, there was a sound of whining, humming machinery, and the blasts stopped.
Aro-Ken switched off the lightsaber, and pulled off the blindfold. He found Mya-Rau Tamia, one of the masters, standing there.
"Aro-Ken Rumos. I should have known it was you," she said. Mya-Rau was a tall, lanky woman who had golden blond hair and twinkling emerald green eyes. She was probably the only Jedi in the universe who could win an argument Jax Dondora. Where most Jedi would call him Aro-Ken, Mya-Rau always used his full name. It was the same for all other Jedi in the Temple.
"Um… Sorry, Mistress Tamia, I couldn't sleep," said Aro-Ken, hoping it could save him.
"Yes, Aro-Ken Rumos, I can see that," Mya-Rau calmly said. Mya-Rau had facial features that were impossible to read. You could never tell just what she was thinking.
"I, uh… I was using my time to enhance my skills, though," Aro-Ken said.
Mya-Rau only nodded.
"And I made it to the third level in less than ten minutes. That's a new record," Aro-Ken offered.
"I know, and I congratulate you," Mya-Rau said, nodding at him once more.
Now Aro-Ken knew Mistress Tamia was playing with him, teasing him as he knew she commonly did with other Jedi. She was like a felinx, playing with its prey before scaring it to death or killing it herself. At the moment, Aro-Ken couldn't tell if she was amused, angry, shocked, or all three at once.
"Tell me, Aro-Ken, are you scared?" she asked.
It was his move, and Aro-Ken had no idea what to do. "Um… Yes, I suppose I am, but just a little." This had to be the most confusing conversation of his life. He was trying to be truthful, but not appear weak at the same time.
Her move. "Well, what do you have to say?"
What kind of move was that? The confused boy thought for a moment, "Um… I'm sorry." He waited, but received no reply. He tried again. "I'm very sorry?" he offered.
"I'm afraid sorry won't do it now," Mya-Rau said.
Aro-Ken saw a smile forming at the corners of his mouth. She was amused now. Very amused.
He looked up for a moment, trying to think of something to say. At last he sighed. "You win."
"I accept your surrender, Aro-Ken Rumos. Allow me to accompany you back to your quarters," Mya-Rau said, allowing her smile to fully come onto her face. "You are quite an amusing opponent, Aro-Ken Rumos. I wish I had discovered that sooner," said Mya-Rau, smiling at him as they walked down the halls.
"Yes, I will do my best to amuse you next time we meet," Aro-Ken said as she walked alongside him down the hallways.
"Tell me, Aro-Ken Rumos, have you ever heard of the Jedi Master Del-Mon Wesia?"
"Yes, I have heard his name before. Rumor around here has it that he is the best Jedi Knight who isn't on the Council. Why do you ask?"
"Because he is coming tomorrow to the Temple to search for what will be his third apprentice. His most recent pupil, Qui-Gon Jinn, has just been accepted at a Jedi Knight." With regret in her eyes, Mya-Rau added, "It may be your last chance to be accepted before your birthday."
He had almost forgotten! If he wasn't a Padawan by the time he turned thirteen, in one month, he was never going to become one!
Aro-Ken took off running for his room, deciding to get all the sleep he could. He would have to be well rested if he wished to become a Padawan the next day.