Jedi Academy
The Magnificent Seven.
Chapter 2
(My first Jedi Knight story. Just so you know, Star Wars belongs to George Lucas. Bless his genius mind. So if anything is in violation of the Star Wars spirit, let HIM speak up. Thanks)
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Some may say the first day in the Jedi training is one of the most challenging. The hard effort and sensitive work of actually build a lightsaber can put everyone's nerves at a test. It requires a highly controlled mind and a steady pair of hands to put all the necessary components together. But the real challenge is in the placement and adjustment of the two crystals that will form the energyblade. There has never been a manual for the position of those two, as the test is not only meant to construct one's weapon, but also to test if the students are sensitive to the force. If the crystal is placed in wrong, the saber might explode when activated.
These words repeated themselves in the head of the seven young students under Jaden Korr's watchful gaze. She noticed the sweat and nervous looks on their faces. The small sparks popping out of the piece of metal they were all working on. Nobody said a word. They barely dared to breathe under the pressure that rested on their shoulders.
Random felt his heart was about to skip a beat every time the spark appeared. He knew perfectly well the consequences if he should screw up on this one. Taking a few seconds break, he looked over to his friend, the silent Kel Dor known as Ryu. He didn't seem the least worried. But to tell the truth, as long as he wore that mask, nobody could tell about his features of his expressions. He seemed so calm and confident where he sat.
They had been sitting around the huge table in their sleeping chamber for several hours now. Random switched his gaze from Ryu to Auron. Out of all the faces except Ryu's, he was the most relaxed of them. And he worked real fast too. He was already done with placing the two crystals and was now working with the skin of the saber. Auron had also helped the girl next to him, Selene, with some of the small electronic pieces.
Kayley was also nearly done with her saber. With a hand steady as a mountain, she put the crystals into her saber and did the last adjustments on it.
The two siblings, Phoenix and Tween didn't seem to have much problems with this. Except maybe Phoenix who constantly had to whistle. He said it was to lighten up the mood and aura in the room. He could only whistle for around ten seconds before the concentration made his mouth close.
After another hour, they were all done and ready to test their sabers for the first time. The tension was so tensed you could cut through the air with a knife and serve it on a toast. They all stood on a row and held their weapon in front of them, looking at Jaden with hopeful eyes. And with Jaden's nod, they all activated them at the same time.
The shadows in the room were quickly chased away as six new sources of light appeared. The familiar humming of the burning energy echoed through the room as gasps and cries of joy escaped the eager students. All but one.
"Um... Jaden?...Mine doesn't work," Phoenix whined and got everyone's attention. Jaden walked over to him and took the lightsaber out of his hands and studied it. Her sharp sighting scanned the piece of metal like a hawk. Trying to figure out what was wrong. After a few seconds she smiled and looked at him.
To everyone's surprise, especially Phoenix, Jaden simply twisted the bottom of the saber a half inch and the burning blade appeared just like the others had done.
"Now it works," Jaden said and handed it back to him. The rest of the team shared a laugh and Phoenix grinned innocently at them. Just then, an Astrodroid came into the room carrying a bow on top of its head.
"Thank you, R5," Jaden said and took the box of its head and watched as the curiosity rose in the eyes of the students. She took her hand into the box and pulled up a small Training Remote. One was given to each of them.
"These Training Remote will help you to train with the lightsaber. It can be adjusted to all kinds of fire. From the low level that is just a small itch in the skin, to the real heavy ones that can actually hurt you. So be careful and don't do anything stupid. Remember, many students have hurt themselves badly simply because they wasn't custom with the light weapon. Last year, a student cut off his own arm in an attempt to do a quick swing attack," Jaden said.
"Now why would that poor idiot do something like that, eh?" Phoenix asked.
"Phoenix!! Shut up," Auron said and nudged him. His sister also gave him a warning glare. The young Zabrak grew a shameful look on his face and nearly shrunk into the floor.
"Sorry," he whispered. Jaden looked skeptically at him with her right eyebrow raised. A sense of humor was okay, but there was a limit for everything. She told them that they would have the rest of the day to practice with the little hovering piece of mechanism. A little break now and then was acceptable, and tomorrow they would be sent out into the training courtyard to test their Force powers.
And with those words, she left the chamber and closed the door behind her. The Force told her that these kids could really grow up to become a good group of Jedi Knights someday. They all looked promising, maybe a bit uncertain and unsure, but that would gradually be washed away as they progressed in their training.
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The hours slowly passed like the clouds on the skies. Throughout the massive temple, the sounds of lightsabers cutting through air hissed like snakes, followed by the sound of a blast being blocked. Random sat down on his bed and took a breather. He as well as the others in the room had totally lost the track of time. On the floor, the only two left practicing was Ryu and Auron. The two of them seemed to have a little duel on which one of them who could do this longest without missing or taking a break.
Looking casually to his left, Kayley sat down next to him on his bed and wiped the sweat off her forehead. She looked really exhausted.
"Oooooh...your quiet friend doesn't look like he's tired," she said between catching her breath.
"It's not easy to tell if he's tired or not, now is it?" Random replied and took a sip of his waterbottle, offering a little refreshment to her as well.
"Thanks," Kayley said and took the bottle.
"Hey, Phoenix...what's going on?" Random said out loud as Phoenix, Tween and Selene gathered around Ryu and Auron.
"I'm placing my credits on Auron, and so is Selene here. Tween has placed her credits on yer friend here. Comeon, lad. 10 credits get ya in," Phoenix said and returned his attention to the two students who were both highly focused on the hovering little droid in front of them.
"You guys are placing bets...?" Random snapped back.
"Aye, we are" was all the response Phoenix said back. Kayley giggled and nudged Random in his arm. The message in her blue eyes was as clear as the skies outside their window. Play along.
"Okay...I know we are ALL suppose to be training instead here but if you insist...30 credits on Ryu," Random said with his most confident voice. Everyone in the room except the two duelists and Kayley turned towards him.
And under the metallic mask Ryu was wearing, he smiled.
Phoenix started to grow nervous. Nobody places three times the normal bet unless he's 100% sure he's going to win. And it seemed clear that it also had its effect on Auron. His forehead suddenly became drenched with sweat as his mind told him he was challenging an opponent that was better than him. This unintentional rush of thoughts got him to lose his focus and move more and more clumsy. Until, a small beam hit him in the arm and the match was over for his part.
A few seconds later, Ryu turned off his lightsaber and his remote hovered motionless in front of him. Turning towards Auron, he gave the defeated human a thumb-up for his courage and skills. Auron nodded in reply and turned off his own saber.
"Pay up, Phoenix. I hope this little game has taught ya not to gamble," Tween said and turned towards her brother.
"Nah. I never get tired of gambling," said the proud Phoenix. He never admitted defeat, not even when it was obvious that he screwed up.
"Well, I've learned my lesson," Selene said and put her credits on the table. Looking over to Auron who seemed like he suffered a big hit in the pride.
"Hey, cheer up, Auron. You can't win every time. Besides...it's just a stupid bet. No big deal," she continued.
"Maybe... But I want a rematch one day. You and me, Ryu," Auron said and formed a sly smile on his face. The silent Kel Dor patted him on the shoulder.
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"Okay, Random... You are acting team leader on today's training," Jaden Korr told the group of seven students the next day. The sun was shining brightly over the fertile training grounds surrounding the mighty Jedi Academy, and the day had come for them to test their knowledge of the Force on a team-based course.
"I'm gonna talk to you through this comlink if there is any problems or questions, and it's up to you to tell the objects to the rest of the team. Let's see how you deal with the responsibility of being in charge with the rest... May the Force be with all of you," she finished and disappeared through an opening in the wall.
Through the forest covered temple courtyard, the silence grew for each second. The tension between the team members was as sharp as a knife as all eyes rested on Random.
"Ya okay there, mate?" Phoenix asked and tilted his head at him. Right now, it seemed like Random was somewhere else. At least not here on Yavin 4.
"Okay...okay... We go this way... I think," Random said and turned towards one of the passages between the overgrown walls. The mixture of plants, stones and temple walls created a perfect road towards their training.
The team followed hopefully after Random. Jaden had selected him to be the leader for today because of his reasonable and clear thinking. She knew perfectly his abilities she had selected him for would be put greatly at test here, but that would only prove her decision if he succeeded.
Crawling out of a group of plants and wines attached to each other, they came upon a little problem. A huge gap in an ancient stone bridge that stood 50 ft above a river. Looking down to the shiny surface below, the river was calm and looked deep enough to survive a possible fall. Painful, but not lethal.
"Okay.... this way is no good," Tween said and was about to turn and leave when her arm was grabbed by the three fingered hand of Ryu and turned her towards the bridge again. His other hand pointed towards the gap.
"He's right... there are several pillars sticking up...we can use them to jump across, can't we?" Selene asked and turned towards Random, who kneeled down and examined the tiny platforms that would eventually lead them across this first obstacle.
"I'll go first... just to make sure," Random said and stood up. Then he started to run towards the threatening ledge. His stomach jumped up into his throat as his feet lost contact with the ground. The landscape under the bridge revealed itself and for a moment, everything seemed to freeze in midair. Then he landed on the closest platform and stood dead silent. Trying to regain his balance.
After this, he jumped from one platform to the next. Just like walking, he reminded himself. The space between the different platforms was huge, but with the Force as his ally, it wasn't as hard as it looked. Reaching the other end, he turned towards the rest, with a proud smile on his face.
"There is nothing to it..." he called back. Clearly he was right, since Kayley broke into a run and skipped from one platform to the next like a little schoolgirl.
"Wait, Kayley... you are going too fast!!!" Selene called to her.
"There is not such thing as 'too fast'... not for me," she replied with a grin and jumped from the last platform and landed safe and sound next to a stunned Random. The rest of the team followed her example and jumped their way to the other side. A bit slower, that is.
"That wasn't so bad, was it?" Phoenix said and looked back the way they came.
"No... but that was just one of the obstacles. The next is just ahead," Random replied and pointed to the end of the small canyon. A gigantic boulder blocked the road ahead.
"Can we climb over it?" Tween asked as she put her hand on the rough surface of the boulder.
"No... we are suppose to train us in the use of the Force, remember? There is something about this boulder that I'm not getting. It's too big to use Push on it, that'll just be plain waste of energy... Ruy, do you think we can move this thing by combining our powers?" Random asked and turned towards the quiet Ryu.
The Kel Dor walked closer to the boulder and scanned it with his sharp eyes. Up and down, left to right. Until he turned towards them and nodded, confirming that they could do this.
"Okay, people. Let's all focus and let's give this boulder the most powerful Force Push of its existence," Random said and they all formed a line in front of the boulder and closed their eyes. Seeking down to their storage of Force power, awakening an unknown strength in them they somehow felt familiar, comforting and stronger than they had ever expected.
"NOW!!!" Random yelled and focused all his strength on this action. And the rest followed his lead and gave everything they had into the push.
And to their pride, the boulder cracked and tore itself out of the canyon. Falling with a huge thunder to the ground and opened the pass for them. A huge cloud of dust hurled into the air and nearly created another wall in front of them. The students stared in awe at their accomplishment. They had done it.
"AYE! AYE! Who are the masters? We are the masters!!" Phoenix cheered and did a little victory dance with his sister. An unknown series of high-fives and cheering echoed through the little canyon as the team celebrated their first common victory. Until Random became silent and listened to the comlink, and in it he heard Jaden's voice.
"Guys, listen to this. Master Jaden congratulates us. None of the other groups has been able to move that boulder. Even Master Skywalker and Master Katarn are seriously impressed!!"
"Then what are we waiting for? Let's move on with the training and celebrate this at home," Selene said and received everyone's blessing on her suggestion.
After another two hours of fighting and thinking their way through the overgrown forest outside the temple, they came upon a clearing where Jaden sat on top of a huge boulder and applauded them with a proud smile on her face.
They had gone through the toughest training that was given to newcomers. Where Push, Pull, Speed and Force Sense were all strongly put at test. Teamwork and logical thinking was also combined during most of the obstacles.
"I cannot remember a time where I have seen such a demonstration of control skills and teamwork in this academy. You have all reason to celebrate," Jaden said and jumped with such grace down to the grass they could have sworn she was flying. For an adult, she clearly wasn't slowed down with age.
"Does that mean today's lessons are over?" Auron asked. To his reply, Jaden simply nodded at them. Then Ryu moved his hand in a short series of hand signals.
"It's alright, Ryu. If you want to celebrate this, then go to the cantina and pick anything you want. As for payment, tell the chef to put it on my account. You have deserved to enjoy the rest of the evening," Jaden said and smiled.
"On one condition... that you leave something for me later when my work is over," she finished and disappeared towards the temple. The others would follow her after a few minutes of congratulation they shared with each other.
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The next morning, the team was woken early by Jaden and ordered to meet her in the hangar. She said she had something very important to tell them.
Last nights celebration had been fun and social. Eating and drinking the best soda in the galaxy, talking to each other and sharing stories of their past. Of the group, Jaden had told the best stories about her missions during her time here at the Jedi Academy.
But now, a few hours after, they were forcing themselves out of their beds, and then groggily dressed themselves.
"What's the big deal of waking us up on a time like this?" Kayley wanted to know. The answer remained unheard and unknown, since they all merely growled in aggravation. The sun wasn't even over the mountains yet and here they were, dressed up like they were going on a mission of some sort.
Making their way through the ancient halls of the temple and past the empty food hall. Not even a single person passed them.
"Is it just me, or are we the only nutcrackers up before the birds fart around here? It's not even time for breakfast..." Phoenix said with a growl.
Upon entering the hangar, they were met by the sight of Jaden standing before a space shuttle with a smile attached on her face. At first, everyone wanted to ask what she wanted, but seeing the shuttle, they knew why she brought them here. The gnawing silence was broken by her voice.
"This in one of the two dozens of space shuttles that Coruscant has given to our academy. Compliments of Mon Mothma herself. The Jedi Cruiser, JC 506, is a heavily armored vessel that can travel nearly twice past lightspeed. With passenger capability of 20 people, she is also equipped with 7 very modified swooper bikes. Enough food, water and air for a crew of 20 to survive a week on literally any planet marked by The New Republic.
An own storage for medical equipment and attention, a small armory of carefully selected weapons and a communication transmitter that covers most of the galaxy. All this brought together, she is very special gift to us all," Jaden said and patted the gray steel skin.
"I take it you don't show us this just because she's beautiful...?" Random said and took the whole ship into view.
"Is this ship really OURS???" Kayley gasped and nearly fell over.
"Well, technically, she's mine. But I'm not going to use her. She's all yours. And you don't even have to pay the fuel," Jaden finished and smiled at them. Their stunned figures was only snapped back to reality as Kayley rushed aboard the shuttle, leaving them very little choice but to follow.
Their feeling of tiredness was successfully wiped away as they eager students examined every detail about their new toy. Kayley immediately ran into the cockpit and flopped down in the flight seat, feeling how perfectly the joystick fit in her tiny hands. This was her dream coming to life. Finally she was a pilot.
Back in the main room of the ship, the rest of the students familiarized themselves with the shuttle's layout. They all grew quiet as Jaden cleared her throat.
"Now to the bad news. I was instructed to inform you that an hour ago, we received an emergency signal from the planet of Blenjeel. A cargo ship carrying Bacta containers was hit by a meteor and had to perform an emergency landing in the middle of the desert. We don't know if there are any survivors, but your first mission will be to locate the crash site and rescue the two pilots. If they didn't make it, your second objective is to receive the ships log and bring it back to the academy. You will leave at once," Jaden said and looked from one face to the next, noticing the stiff expressions imprinted on their faces.
"There is a slight risk that you might run into some Sand Burrowers, so try to do the job quick and painless. May the Force be with all of you," she finished and left the shuttle. Leaving the students with maybe a thousand questions.
"Okay, ladies and gentlemen. Strap yourself to the closest seat and prepare for liftoff. Random, you are in the seat next to me," Kayley said and patted the co-pilot seat next to her.
Checking that all systems were operational and ready for take off, the shuttle lifted itself from the hangar floor and hovered towards the exit. Kayley was thrilled to sit behind the joystick of this thing. It was a dream to fly this thing, and as soon as the shuttle was out in the free air she speeded up and towards outer space with great speed.
Setting the coordinates to Blenjeel. Their first mission was starting.
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That's the end of chapter 2.
I hope this was satisfying. I really did my best with this one. Now if you have some idea of a possible mission for them, please feel free to tell me, either in the review or as an ordinary mail. Just remember to call the "subject" of the mail for Jedi Missions. If not, the mail will go to junkmail and be deleted. All missions are acceptable since this story will not consist of ONE gigantic mission, but several small ones. Just like the game. And now for my faithful reviewers, I have a little bonus for ya.
Shalashaska-001: Don't give me more credits than I deserve. I'm just doing my job and I know there are better stories in my library than this one. But thanks anyway.
Mr. X: I had several versions of Jaden Korr, and decided to use the Zabrak model in this story. Not all Jedi's are human, and not all human can become Jedi's.
Jays Arraven: Glad this has yer attention. I appreciate it and hope to see more of you around.
John: Yeah, picturing Luke and Kyle as old men can be pretty tough. But it's also quite funny. Age matters not. Just look at Yoda.
Zeroray: Don't worry about it. Why Random is called random will be revealed in a soon-to-come chapter. As for suggestions, I take any suggestions I can get my eyes on. My job is not to satisfy my own desires, but the desires of the readers.
Only4gameboyadvanceSP: Fantastic, eh? Thank you so much. I'm aware that there might be some small errors in the words and spelling, but all I can say is "Live with it".
Snowy Fox: What can I say to ya? I hope this was soon enough. It's nice to see new reviewers appearing.
Until next time, my friends. Peace out.
The Magnificent Seven.
Chapter 2
(My first Jedi Knight story. Just so you know, Star Wars belongs to George Lucas. Bless his genius mind. So if anything is in violation of the Star Wars spirit, let HIM speak up. Thanks)
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Some may say the first day in the Jedi training is one of the most challenging. The hard effort and sensitive work of actually build a lightsaber can put everyone's nerves at a test. It requires a highly controlled mind and a steady pair of hands to put all the necessary components together. But the real challenge is in the placement and adjustment of the two crystals that will form the energyblade. There has never been a manual for the position of those two, as the test is not only meant to construct one's weapon, but also to test if the students are sensitive to the force. If the crystal is placed in wrong, the saber might explode when activated.
These words repeated themselves in the head of the seven young students under Jaden Korr's watchful gaze. She noticed the sweat and nervous looks on their faces. The small sparks popping out of the piece of metal they were all working on. Nobody said a word. They barely dared to breathe under the pressure that rested on their shoulders.
Random felt his heart was about to skip a beat every time the spark appeared. He knew perfectly well the consequences if he should screw up on this one. Taking a few seconds break, he looked over to his friend, the silent Kel Dor known as Ryu. He didn't seem the least worried. But to tell the truth, as long as he wore that mask, nobody could tell about his features of his expressions. He seemed so calm and confident where he sat.
They had been sitting around the huge table in their sleeping chamber for several hours now. Random switched his gaze from Ryu to Auron. Out of all the faces except Ryu's, he was the most relaxed of them. And he worked real fast too. He was already done with placing the two crystals and was now working with the skin of the saber. Auron had also helped the girl next to him, Selene, with some of the small electronic pieces.
Kayley was also nearly done with her saber. With a hand steady as a mountain, she put the crystals into her saber and did the last adjustments on it.
The two siblings, Phoenix and Tween didn't seem to have much problems with this. Except maybe Phoenix who constantly had to whistle. He said it was to lighten up the mood and aura in the room. He could only whistle for around ten seconds before the concentration made his mouth close.
After another hour, they were all done and ready to test their sabers for the first time. The tension was so tensed you could cut through the air with a knife and serve it on a toast. They all stood on a row and held their weapon in front of them, looking at Jaden with hopeful eyes. And with Jaden's nod, they all activated them at the same time.
The shadows in the room were quickly chased away as six new sources of light appeared. The familiar humming of the burning energy echoed through the room as gasps and cries of joy escaped the eager students. All but one.
"Um... Jaden?...Mine doesn't work," Phoenix whined and got everyone's attention. Jaden walked over to him and took the lightsaber out of his hands and studied it. Her sharp sighting scanned the piece of metal like a hawk. Trying to figure out what was wrong. After a few seconds she smiled and looked at him.
To everyone's surprise, especially Phoenix, Jaden simply twisted the bottom of the saber a half inch and the burning blade appeared just like the others had done.
"Now it works," Jaden said and handed it back to him. The rest of the team shared a laugh and Phoenix grinned innocently at them. Just then, an Astrodroid came into the room carrying a bow on top of its head.
"Thank you, R5," Jaden said and took the box of its head and watched as the curiosity rose in the eyes of the students. She took her hand into the box and pulled up a small Training Remote. One was given to each of them.
"These Training Remote will help you to train with the lightsaber. It can be adjusted to all kinds of fire. From the low level that is just a small itch in the skin, to the real heavy ones that can actually hurt you. So be careful and don't do anything stupid. Remember, many students have hurt themselves badly simply because they wasn't custom with the light weapon. Last year, a student cut off his own arm in an attempt to do a quick swing attack," Jaden said.
"Now why would that poor idiot do something like that, eh?" Phoenix asked.
"Phoenix!! Shut up," Auron said and nudged him. His sister also gave him a warning glare. The young Zabrak grew a shameful look on his face and nearly shrunk into the floor.
"Sorry," he whispered. Jaden looked skeptically at him with her right eyebrow raised. A sense of humor was okay, but there was a limit for everything. She told them that they would have the rest of the day to practice with the little hovering piece of mechanism. A little break now and then was acceptable, and tomorrow they would be sent out into the training courtyard to test their Force powers.
And with those words, she left the chamber and closed the door behind her. The Force told her that these kids could really grow up to become a good group of Jedi Knights someday. They all looked promising, maybe a bit uncertain and unsure, but that would gradually be washed away as they progressed in their training.
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The hours slowly passed like the clouds on the skies. Throughout the massive temple, the sounds of lightsabers cutting through air hissed like snakes, followed by the sound of a blast being blocked. Random sat down on his bed and took a breather. He as well as the others in the room had totally lost the track of time. On the floor, the only two left practicing was Ryu and Auron. The two of them seemed to have a little duel on which one of them who could do this longest without missing or taking a break.
Looking casually to his left, Kayley sat down next to him on his bed and wiped the sweat off her forehead. She looked really exhausted.
"Oooooh...your quiet friend doesn't look like he's tired," she said between catching her breath.
"It's not easy to tell if he's tired or not, now is it?" Random replied and took a sip of his waterbottle, offering a little refreshment to her as well.
"Thanks," Kayley said and took the bottle.
"Hey, Phoenix...what's going on?" Random said out loud as Phoenix, Tween and Selene gathered around Ryu and Auron.
"I'm placing my credits on Auron, and so is Selene here. Tween has placed her credits on yer friend here. Comeon, lad. 10 credits get ya in," Phoenix said and returned his attention to the two students who were both highly focused on the hovering little droid in front of them.
"You guys are placing bets...?" Random snapped back.
"Aye, we are" was all the response Phoenix said back. Kayley giggled and nudged Random in his arm. The message in her blue eyes was as clear as the skies outside their window. Play along.
"Okay...I know we are ALL suppose to be training instead here but if you insist...30 credits on Ryu," Random said with his most confident voice. Everyone in the room except the two duelists and Kayley turned towards him.
And under the metallic mask Ryu was wearing, he smiled.
Phoenix started to grow nervous. Nobody places three times the normal bet unless he's 100% sure he's going to win. And it seemed clear that it also had its effect on Auron. His forehead suddenly became drenched with sweat as his mind told him he was challenging an opponent that was better than him. This unintentional rush of thoughts got him to lose his focus and move more and more clumsy. Until, a small beam hit him in the arm and the match was over for his part.
A few seconds later, Ryu turned off his lightsaber and his remote hovered motionless in front of him. Turning towards Auron, he gave the defeated human a thumb-up for his courage and skills. Auron nodded in reply and turned off his own saber.
"Pay up, Phoenix. I hope this little game has taught ya not to gamble," Tween said and turned towards her brother.
"Nah. I never get tired of gambling," said the proud Phoenix. He never admitted defeat, not even when it was obvious that he screwed up.
"Well, I've learned my lesson," Selene said and put her credits on the table. Looking over to Auron who seemed like he suffered a big hit in the pride.
"Hey, cheer up, Auron. You can't win every time. Besides...it's just a stupid bet. No big deal," she continued.
"Maybe... But I want a rematch one day. You and me, Ryu," Auron said and formed a sly smile on his face. The silent Kel Dor patted him on the shoulder.
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"Okay, Random... You are acting team leader on today's training," Jaden Korr told the group of seven students the next day. The sun was shining brightly over the fertile training grounds surrounding the mighty Jedi Academy, and the day had come for them to test their knowledge of the Force on a team-based course.
"I'm gonna talk to you through this comlink if there is any problems or questions, and it's up to you to tell the objects to the rest of the team. Let's see how you deal with the responsibility of being in charge with the rest... May the Force be with all of you," she finished and disappeared through an opening in the wall.
Through the forest covered temple courtyard, the silence grew for each second. The tension between the team members was as sharp as a knife as all eyes rested on Random.
"Ya okay there, mate?" Phoenix asked and tilted his head at him. Right now, it seemed like Random was somewhere else. At least not here on Yavin 4.
"Okay...okay... We go this way... I think," Random said and turned towards one of the passages between the overgrown walls. The mixture of plants, stones and temple walls created a perfect road towards their training.
The team followed hopefully after Random. Jaden had selected him to be the leader for today because of his reasonable and clear thinking. She knew perfectly his abilities she had selected him for would be put greatly at test here, but that would only prove her decision if he succeeded.
Crawling out of a group of plants and wines attached to each other, they came upon a little problem. A huge gap in an ancient stone bridge that stood 50 ft above a river. Looking down to the shiny surface below, the river was calm and looked deep enough to survive a possible fall. Painful, but not lethal.
"Okay.... this way is no good," Tween said and was about to turn and leave when her arm was grabbed by the three fingered hand of Ryu and turned her towards the bridge again. His other hand pointed towards the gap.
"He's right... there are several pillars sticking up...we can use them to jump across, can't we?" Selene asked and turned towards Random, who kneeled down and examined the tiny platforms that would eventually lead them across this first obstacle.
"I'll go first... just to make sure," Random said and stood up. Then he started to run towards the threatening ledge. His stomach jumped up into his throat as his feet lost contact with the ground. The landscape under the bridge revealed itself and for a moment, everything seemed to freeze in midair. Then he landed on the closest platform and stood dead silent. Trying to regain his balance.
After this, he jumped from one platform to the next. Just like walking, he reminded himself. The space between the different platforms was huge, but with the Force as his ally, it wasn't as hard as it looked. Reaching the other end, he turned towards the rest, with a proud smile on his face.
"There is nothing to it..." he called back. Clearly he was right, since Kayley broke into a run and skipped from one platform to the next like a little schoolgirl.
"Wait, Kayley... you are going too fast!!!" Selene called to her.
"There is not such thing as 'too fast'... not for me," she replied with a grin and jumped from the last platform and landed safe and sound next to a stunned Random. The rest of the team followed her example and jumped their way to the other side. A bit slower, that is.
"That wasn't so bad, was it?" Phoenix said and looked back the way they came.
"No... but that was just one of the obstacles. The next is just ahead," Random replied and pointed to the end of the small canyon. A gigantic boulder blocked the road ahead.
"Can we climb over it?" Tween asked as she put her hand on the rough surface of the boulder.
"No... we are suppose to train us in the use of the Force, remember? There is something about this boulder that I'm not getting. It's too big to use Push on it, that'll just be plain waste of energy... Ruy, do you think we can move this thing by combining our powers?" Random asked and turned towards the quiet Ryu.
The Kel Dor walked closer to the boulder and scanned it with his sharp eyes. Up and down, left to right. Until he turned towards them and nodded, confirming that they could do this.
"Okay, people. Let's all focus and let's give this boulder the most powerful Force Push of its existence," Random said and they all formed a line in front of the boulder and closed their eyes. Seeking down to their storage of Force power, awakening an unknown strength in them they somehow felt familiar, comforting and stronger than they had ever expected.
"NOW!!!" Random yelled and focused all his strength on this action. And the rest followed his lead and gave everything they had into the push.
And to their pride, the boulder cracked and tore itself out of the canyon. Falling with a huge thunder to the ground and opened the pass for them. A huge cloud of dust hurled into the air and nearly created another wall in front of them. The students stared in awe at their accomplishment. They had done it.
"AYE! AYE! Who are the masters? We are the masters!!" Phoenix cheered and did a little victory dance with his sister. An unknown series of high-fives and cheering echoed through the little canyon as the team celebrated their first common victory. Until Random became silent and listened to the comlink, and in it he heard Jaden's voice.
"Guys, listen to this. Master Jaden congratulates us. None of the other groups has been able to move that boulder. Even Master Skywalker and Master Katarn are seriously impressed!!"
"Then what are we waiting for? Let's move on with the training and celebrate this at home," Selene said and received everyone's blessing on her suggestion.
After another two hours of fighting and thinking their way through the overgrown forest outside the temple, they came upon a clearing where Jaden sat on top of a huge boulder and applauded them with a proud smile on her face.
They had gone through the toughest training that was given to newcomers. Where Push, Pull, Speed and Force Sense were all strongly put at test. Teamwork and logical thinking was also combined during most of the obstacles.
"I cannot remember a time where I have seen such a demonstration of control skills and teamwork in this academy. You have all reason to celebrate," Jaden said and jumped with such grace down to the grass they could have sworn she was flying. For an adult, she clearly wasn't slowed down with age.
"Does that mean today's lessons are over?" Auron asked. To his reply, Jaden simply nodded at them. Then Ryu moved his hand in a short series of hand signals.
"It's alright, Ryu. If you want to celebrate this, then go to the cantina and pick anything you want. As for payment, tell the chef to put it on my account. You have deserved to enjoy the rest of the evening," Jaden said and smiled.
"On one condition... that you leave something for me later when my work is over," she finished and disappeared towards the temple. The others would follow her after a few minutes of congratulation they shared with each other.
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The next morning, the team was woken early by Jaden and ordered to meet her in the hangar. She said she had something very important to tell them.
Last nights celebration had been fun and social. Eating and drinking the best soda in the galaxy, talking to each other and sharing stories of their past. Of the group, Jaden had told the best stories about her missions during her time here at the Jedi Academy.
But now, a few hours after, they were forcing themselves out of their beds, and then groggily dressed themselves.
"What's the big deal of waking us up on a time like this?" Kayley wanted to know. The answer remained unheard and unknown, since they all merely growled in aggravation. The sun wasn't even over the mountains yet and here they were, dressed up like they were going on a mission of some sort.
Making their way through the ancient halls of the temple and past the empty food hall. Not even a single person passed them.
"Is it just me, or are we the only nutcrackers up before the birds fart around here? It's not even time for breakfast..." Phoenix said with a growl.
Upon entering the hangar, they were met by the sight of Jaden standing before a space shuttle with a smile attached on her face. At first, everyone wanted to ask what she wanted, but seeing the shuttle, they knew why she brought them here. The gnawing silence was broken by her voice.
"This in one of the two dozens of space shuttles that Coruscant has given to our academy. Compliments of Mon Mothma herself. The Jedi Cruiser, JC 506, is a heavily armored vessel that can travel nearly twice past lightspeed. With passenger capability of 20 people, she is also equipped with 7 very modified swooper bikes. Enough food, water and air for a crew of 20 to survive a week on literally any planet marked by The New Republic.
An own storage for medical equipment and attention, a small armory of carefully selected weapons and a communication transmitter that covers most of the galaxy. All this brought together, she is very special gift to us all," Jaden said and patted the gray steel skin.
"I take it you don't show us this just because she's beautiful...?" Random said and took the whole ship into view.
"Is this ship really OURS???" Kayley gasped and nearly fell over.
"Well, technically, she's mine. But I'm not going to use her. She's all yours. And you don't even have to pay the fuel," Jaden finished and smiled at them. Their stunned figures was only snapped back to reality as Kayley rushed aboard the shuttle, leaving them very little choice but to follow.
Their feeling of tiredness was successfully wiped away as they eager students examined every detail about their new toy. Kayley immediately ran into the cockpit and flopped down in the flight seat, feeling how perfectly the joystick fit in her tiny hands. This was her dream coming to life. Finally she was a pilot.
Back in the main room of the ship, the rest of the students familiarized themselves with the shuttle's layout. They all grew quiet as Jaden cleared her throat.
"Now to the bad news. I was instructed to inform you that an hour ago, we received an emergency signal from the planet of Blenjeel. A cargo ship carrying Bacta containers was hit by a meteor and had to perform an emergency landing in the middle of the desert. We don't know if there are any survivors, but your first mission will be to locate the crash site and rescue the two pilots. If they didn't make it, your second objective is to receive the ships log and bring it back to the academy. You will leave at once," Jaden said and looked from one face to the next, noticing the stiff expressions imprinted on their faces.
"There is a slight risk that you might run into some Sand Burrowers, so try to do the job quick and painless. May the Force be with all of you," she finished and left the shuttle. Leaving the students with maybe a thousand questions.
"Okay, ladies and gentlemen. Strap yourself to the closest seat and prepare for liftoff. Random, you are in the seat next to me," Kayley said and patted the co-pilot seat next to her.
Checking that all systems were operational and ready for take off, the shuttle lifted itself from the hangar floor and hovered towards the exit. Kayley was thrilled to sit behind the joystick of this thing. It was a dream to fly this thing, and as soon as the shuttle was out in the free air she speeded up and towards outer space with great speed.
Setting the coordinates to Blenjeel. Their first mission was starting.
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That's the end of chapter 2.
I hope this was satisfying. I really did my best with this one. Now if you have some idea of a possible mission for them, please feel free to tell me, either in the review or as an ordinary mail. Just remember to call the "subject" of the mail for Jedi Missions. If not, the mail will go to junkmail and be deleted. All missions are acceptable since this story will not consist of ONE gigantic mission, but several small ones. Just like the game. And now for my faithful reviewers, I have a little bonus for ya.
Shalashaska-001: Don't give me more credits than I deserve. I'm just doing my job and I know there are better stories in my library than this one. But thanks anyway.
Mr. X: I had several versions of Jaden Korr, and decided to use the Zabrak model in this story. Not all Jedi's are human, and not all human can become Jedi's.
Jays Arraven: Glad this has yer attention. I appreciate it and hope to see more of you around.
John: Yeah, picturing Luke and Kyle as old men can be pretty tough. But it's also quite funny. Age matters not. Just look at Yoda.
Zeroray: Don't worry about it. Why Random is called random will be revealed in a soon-to-come chapter. As for suggestions, I take any suggestions I can get my eyes on. My job is not to satisfy my own desires, but the desires of the readers.
Only4gameboyadvanceSP: Fantastic, eh? Thank you so much. I'm aware that there might be some small errors in the words and spelling, but all I can say is "Live with it".
Snowy Fox: What can I say to ya? I hope this was soon enough. It's nice to see new reviewers appearing.
Until next time, my friends. Peace out.