Author's Note: Kit is in his early twenties.
The Padawan wore a loose cloak and hood which obscured his face. He walked somewhat hesitantly along the passage to the Council room. Before him walked Master Ki-Adi-Mundi, his large domed head towering above the other. The Padawan walked with his eyes on the floor to avoid staring at his master's funny ponytail.
They entered the Council Chamber and stood in the center surrounded by a semicircle of Jedi Masters. Master Mundi tapped his Padawan, somewhat impatiently, indicating that he should remove his hood. Carefully, the Padawan pushed his hood back, revealing his green skin and dangling tentacles. He dipped his head politely to the Council.
"Master Ki-Adi-Mundi, what brings you and your apprentice here this day?" Master Oppo Rancisis asked casually. Master Yoda shot him a quick glare.
"Ready for the Trials your Padawan is, you think?" Mundi could do nothing but nod deeply. Yoda nodded as well. "If ready he is, we will soon see. In two days the Trials will be." He gestured them from the chamber with a three-fingered hand.
As they left the council Kit Fisto replaced his hood. "Young one, you will need to learn not to cover your features unless absolutely necessary. Some innocent might confuse you with a Sith!" He chuckled slightly at his joke and pulled the hood down. Kit glanced up at him, his black eyes showing nothing of his thoughts. "There is nothing wrong with your features, Padawan."
Kit shook his head, rattling his tentacles slightly. "Not that, Master," He said slowly, his breezy Nautolan accent all but obscuring the words. He thought: If there was something wrong with my features, there would certainly be something wrong with Mundi's.
"What is it then?" Master Mundi stopped.
Kit stared at him for a bit, trying desperately to sense his mood. "I do not think I am ready for the trials," he uttered.
"You will pass the trials. The Force is very strong in you. If you pass, you will be my first trainee to become a Jedi. It would make me very proud."
Kit looked up again. "Am I ready? Or do you just want to bring glory to yourself?"
Master Mundi looked aghast. "A Jedi must not think of personal advancement in that way, young one. I only sense that I cannot train you further, and you have an important role to play in the universe." Kit could not help but grin at his master's wobbling ponytail. The few white strands moved contrary to Mundi's head motions. "You think what I say it humorous? I will never truly understand you." Mundi shook his head and paced off down the hall with Kit in his wake.
Back at his quarters, Kit immersed himself in a tepid bath. There he soaked for hours, breathing through his gills and ruminating on his master's words. Am a ready? Am I good enough to become a Jedi? I haven't even been in training for twenty years like most do. He swished his tentacles through the water, reveling at its freedom. It allowed him to use all of his senses to the fullest; it allowed him to relax.
The water was his home. At least, it had been. He had been taken from Glee Anselm by his uncle after his aunt passed into the murk. His uncle despaired and could no longer care for the small child. Kit had learned much under Ki-Adi-Mundi's tutelage. It was true that he could move things with the Force and read the minds of lesser beings. He was even partially able to direct the thoughts of the weak, a thing that some Masters did not perfect until many years after passing the trials. He could talk with some of the Council in his mind, and wield a saber almost as well as Master Mace Windu. He had indeed constructed his very own saber under his Master's instruction. These things made him ready apparently.
Kit finally vacated the bath in order to eat with his Master as was the tradition. If it were up to him, he would dine alone. He felt no true attachment to Mundi. The Jedi Master showed very little emotion and simply carried out his duties with Kit. The occasional compliment grin or nod was hardly enough to make Kit like him.
Kit Fisto waited for Ki-Adi-Mundi at his door. The tall Jedi led the way down the hall without a word. Kit studied his straight back, wondering what it would be like to be a master. He sighed. The other Padawans bonded strongly with their masters. Kit barely got along with his, and his training would soon be over. Barring the possibility of failing the trials
At the mess, Kit and his master dined in silence. Finally Kit looked into Mundi's eyes and spoke. "What will happen when I pass the trials, Master?"
Master Mundi looked up from his meal. "You will be a Jedi. Perhaps they will send you on a mission." He grinned wryly.
"Do they do that? Send new, young Jedi out?" He did not allow his eyes to show his worry.
"They do," Mundi paused, "if they desire. But usually not so quickly." He turned again to his food, leaving Kit to his thoughts.
Two days later, Kit found himself once more in front of the Council. He nervously glanced from one Master to the next, waiting for one to speak. Master Mundi had been sent from the room to allow the rest of the Council to test Kit.
What am I doing here, surrounded by all of these hideous creatures? I'll never be a Jedi. I'm young and Nautolan. Yeah, there was another Nautolan Jedi, my great grandfather or some such, but that makes no difference. I am doomed to many more years with ol' Mundi… His ranting thoughts were interrupted by Master Yoda.
"Hear your thoughts, the Council can, young one," he stated, not unkindly. "Troubled your spirit is."
Kit dropped his head, embarrassed to be caught thinking such terrible things. He tried to articulate an apology or explanation.
"Every Jedi has such thoughts." He heard in his mind. He glanced up searching for the speaker. All the members simply sat and examined him. "The thing that makes a Jedi is dealing with them; harnessing them for good. That is what the Trials truly are."
"How do I contain my thoughts, Masters? How do I learn? How do I pass?"
The Council nodded as one. "With that attitude of willingness, you will pass." Master Plo Koon stated.