Chapter Two
Evajo and Se'line Dra'lik arrived in the Great Hall of the Jedi Temple to find that all eyes were looking in their general direction. Hundreds of Jedi filled the room but there was clearly space for many more who were either away at war or had already lost their lives in the conflict with the Separatists. As his mind drifted to this, Evajo really didn't see the point in him being here. There were far more important Jedi who could be celebrated instead of him. He was only being made a Jedi Knight. It wasn't as if it was something that happened once a century. Still, he was here and it was a custom so no doubt it would be best to make an effort.
In the centre of the Hall, which was decorated in the light tones that were used throughout the whole Temple, was a tall podium that stretched around twenty feet into the air so that everyone could see what was going on. Se'line nudged Evajo forward towards the steps that led to the top of the podium and he could feel the eyes of everyone present on him. If that wasn't enough, his Jedi abilities made things worse by allowing him to sense the expectations of every single one of them. Fear was the path to the Dark Side or so Master Yoda had told him time and time again. Still, right now it was starting to get the best of him.
Focus. Focus. He took several deep breaths and everything began to settle inside him. It wasn't so bad. He could do this.
With one last step, Evajo got up onto the top of the podium where Masters Yoda, Windu and his own former teacher Forchess were waiting for him. He bowed his head slightly, something that they did back in return. Yoda turned to the crowds and began to make a speech. It amazed everyone that despite the number of braid cutting ceremonies that the tiny Jedi master had presided over, he always managed to come up with something new to say every time.
"Today a great day it is," he began. "Today does another apprentice of our Order a Jedi Knight become..."
Yoda's words seemed to blur in Evajo's mind as he looked out over everyone looking at him. He recognised almost everyone of the faces in the crowd apart from perhaps the younger padawans with whom he rarely spent that much time. They were near the front so that they could see the ceremony better and looked up to him with awe.
They were separated into their Clans, four in all, each wearing different coloured robes to ensure that people could tell which they were from when they sneaked out of training. He smiled at his memories of doing that. It wasn't something that he should have been proud of but he couldn't help it.
In the dark coloured robes, at the very front, was the Dewback Clan. They were a complete contrast to the members of the Bantha Clan who wore bright white robes with light cream segments. Behind them Evajo could see the trainees who formed the Bear Clan in their cream and grey robes. Before she had become a padawan, Se'line had been one of these but Evajo himself felt happy to see the Gundark Clan of which he was once a member. They often insisted that they were the toughest but those boasts tended to lead to the other young ones trying to tug at their eyes when they weren't looking to see if they were just like those of their namesakes. From where he was, the soon to be Jedi Knight noticed a few members with sore, red lobes proving that this was a tradition that had yet to wear out despite constant reprimands from Master Yoda who had perhaps been one himself all those centuries before and was still a little bitter.
The short green Jedi finished his speech and everyone looked at Evajo again. He looked at them as he awoke from his musings of the past and suddenly felt another bout of nerves. Yoda could sense that and smiled. Nobody knew exactly how but Yoda's smiles tended to have a calming influence and it worked wonders on Evajo.
"Ready are you?" he asked.
"As I'll ever be, Master."
"Good. Master Windu?" Yoda turned to his fellow member of the Jedi Council and nodded. Mace removed his lightsaber from his belt and ignited it, the glowing purple blade extending several feet outwards. He said nothing as he walked towards Evajo, took his padawan braid and cut through it easily. The piece of hair fell into Windu's hand and he passed it to its former owner with a smile.
Then there was silence. Evajo looked at the crowds. Had something gone wrong? Had his ear been accidentally cut off and was lying on the floor at his feet? Now that would have been embarrassing for both him and Master Windu. One of the heroes of Geonosis cutting off a padawan's ear. He'd be getting some pretty strict words from Yoda after that.
His thoughts stopped when suddenly a wave of blue and green light moved across the Great Hall. The rest of the Jedi saluted him with their lightsabers. Evajo fumbled for his own and held it aloft in reply. There were cheers that almost deafened him and he began to wish that maybe Mace Windu should have cut off his ear after all.
Evajo and Se'line Dra'lik arrived in the Great Hall of the Jedi Temple to find that all eyes were looking in their general direction. Hundreds of Jedi filled the room but there was clearly space for many more who were either away at war or had already lost their lives in the conflict with the Separatists. As his mind drifted to this, Evajo really didn't see the point in him being here. There were far more important Jedi who could be celebrated instead of him. He was only being made a Jedi Knight. It wasn't as if it was something that happened once a century. Still, he was here and it was a custom so no doubt it would be best to make an effort.
In the centre of the Hall, which was decorated in the light tones that were used throughout the whole Temple, was a tall podium that stretched around twenty feet into the air so that everyone could see what was going on. Se'line nudged Evajo forward towards the steps that led to the top of the podium and he could feel the eyes of everyone present on him. If that wasn't enough, his Jedi abilities made things worse by allowing him to sense the expectations of every single one of them. Fear was the path to the Dark Side or so Master Yoda had told him time and time again. Still, right now it was starting to get the best of him.
Focus. Focus. He took several deep breaths and everything began to settle inside him. It wasn't so bad. He could do this.
With one last step, Evajo got up onto the top of the podium where Masters Yoda, Windu and his own former teacher Forchess were waiting for him. He bowed his head slightly, something that they did back in return. Yoda turned to the crowds and began to make a speech. It amazed everyone that despite the number of braid cutting ceremonies that the tiny Jedi master had presided over, he always managed to come up with something new to say every time.
"Today a great day it is," he began. "Today does another apprentice of our Order a Jedi Knight become..."
Yoda's words seemed to blur in Evajo's mind as he looked out over everyone looking at him. He recognised almost everyone of the faces in the crowd apart from perhaps the younger padawans with whom he rarely spent that much time. They were near the front so that they could see the ceremony better and looked up to him with awe.
They were separated into their Clans, four in all, each wearing different coloured robes to ensure that people could tell which they were from when they sneaked out of training. He smiled at his memories of doing that. It wasn't something that he should have been proud of but he couldn't help it.
In the dark coloured robes, at the very front, was the Dewback Clan. They were a complete contrast to the members of the Bantha Clan who wore bright white robes with light cream segments. Behind them Evajo could see the trainees who formed the Bear Clan in their cream and grey robes. Before she had become a padawan, Se'line had been one of these but Evajo himself felt happy to see the Gundark Clan of which he was once a member. They often insisted that they were the toughest but those boasts tended to lead to the other young ones trying to tug at their eyes when they weren't looking to see if they were just like those of their namesakes. From where he was, the soon to be Jedi Knight noticed a few members with sore, red lobes proving that this was a tradition that had yet to wear out despite constant reprimands from Master Yoda who had perhaps been one himself all those centuries before and was still a little bitter.
The short green Jedi finished his speech and everyone looked at Evajo again. He looked at them as he awoke from his musings of the past and suddenly felt another bout of nerves. Yoda could sense that and smiled. Nobody knew exactly how but Yoda's smiles tended to have a calming influence and it worked wonders on Evajo.
"Ready are you?" he asked.
"As I'll ever be, Master."
"Good. Master Windu?" Yoda turned to his fellow member of the Jedi Council and nodded. Mace removed his lightsaber from his belt and ignited it, the glowing purple blade extending several feet outwards. He said nothing as he walked towards Evajo, took his padawan braid and cut through it easily. The piece of hair fell into Windu's hand and he passed it to its former owner with a smile.
Then there was silence. Evajo looked at the crowds. Had something gone wrong? Had his ear been accidentally cut off and was lying on the floor at his feet? Now that would have been embarrassing for both him and Master Windu. One of the heroes of Geonosis cutting off a padawan's ear. He'd be getting some pretty strict words from Yoda after that.
His thoughts stopped when suddenly a wave of blue and green light moved across the Great Hall. The rest of the Jedi saluted him with their lightsabers. Evajo fumbled for his own and held it aloft in reply. There were cheers that almost deafened him and he began to wish that maybe Mace Windu should have cut off his ear after all.