Synopsis: Vaessa takes the oldest of her former clan on the journey of their lifetimes.
As the Clone War scorches its destructive path across the galaxy, it is the Jedi who bring order to the chaos.
Though as the war progresses, the number of Jedi have declined, and new younglings are harder to find.
When a youngling is located, they are brought to the Jedi Temple and learn quickly that their true family is now the Jedi Order.
The trials are hard.
Tests must be passed.
But none is as important as The Gathering.
It is then that a Jedi's path will truly begin.
I packed my satchel, making sure I had everything I needed. Lightsaber in case things go south... check. Lightsaber diagram... check. Coat... check. I swung it over my shoulder and left my room, greeting my master in the kitchen. "Hello, Vaessa," he said, coming round the dining table to see me.
"Hello, master," I greeted as he adjusted my dress. Padawans are generally allowed more leeway when it comes to outfits, and while I don't utilize this as much as some people, I do dress in more than the standard issue tunic. My uniform was made up of a grey top and leggings, a white wraparound dress and brown belt along with brown fingerless gloves and boots.
"You've grown up so fast," he said softly. "It seems like only yesterday I was sending Anakin out to take you on this same mission."
"Did you have a pep talk with Anakin?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.
"In a way," Obi-Wan said. "But of course, his was less 'you've grown up' and more 'don't blow up the ship'."
I laughed. "See you later."
"See you," Obi-Wan said, and I left our quarters.
After a few minutes of walking, Barriss came up to me. "Barriss," I greeted. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"
"Good luck," Barriss said, slightly mournfully. She'd never gotten to go on this mission herself, as miralian jedi get knighted earlier. She probably wouldn't have done so anyway, because we're from the same clan, and, well, I'm better than her.
"Thanks," I said. "Congratulations on your knighting, by the way."
Barriss smiled. "Thank you."
I walked through the double doors onto the landing deck, running to the ship we'd be taking to Illum. After a considerable bit of waiting, a group of younglings came out of the door, supervised by Master Ashtom. "Padawan Orin," he greeted.
"Master Ashtom," I greeted back.
He turned around and left. I looked at the younglings before me.
The eldest was a Halaisi called Saavi. She was fourteen now, and had roomed with Daniyelle since we came. The next eldest two were Daniyelle and a boy in her year, Emmed. Emmed was a thirteen year old human with curly black hair and dark brown skin, like Master Windu's. Behind them were the next year, a boy and a girl again. The boy was a dug named Colrin, with leathery purple skin and yellow eyes. The girl was a jawa named Raeyan, a sly pickpocket who had stolen my lightsaber several times. The youngest was another human, eleven year old Ylivea with almond skin and black hair and eyes.
"Alright, younglings, listen up," I said, clapping my hands. "Do you know what you'll be doing today? I'm told they don't always tell you that nowadays."
Everyone except for Daniyelle shook their heads. "No, but I have an idea," she told us.
I nodded. "Good," I told her. "What d'you think we'll be doing?"
"Constructing our lightsabers," she replied smugly.
"Correct," I said, smiling.
"See, Saavi?" said Daniyelle, rounding on her older friend. "I told you!"
Saavi rolled her eyes. "Show off," she muttered.
"Be warned: this is no simple task, and many perils lie ahead of you," I said, my face serious. "Where we are going, there is no place more sacred to the Jedi."
…
"Not the most hospitable place," Daniyelle grumbled.
"I think that's the point," Ylivea pointed out.
We walked along the passageway until we reached a cave. "It's a dead end," Saavi said.
"Younglings, outstretch your hands and focus the Force," I told them. "Together, and only together, can we enter." We focused our minds and the ice caved in. "Now hurry. The sun has already risen, and we must begin."
"Master Yoda," I greeted as we came into the cavern.
"The Force made physical, a Jedi is," Yoda told us. "Comes great responsibility with that, yes? Protect others, how does a Jedi, hmm? Build your own lightsaber, you shall. But first, harvest your crystal, each one of you must."
"See, I told you," Daniyelle said triumphantly.
"Yoda, wow," Raeyan said in awe.
"No, I told you," Emmed countered.
"No, I told you," Daniyelle corrected.
"The heart of the lightsaber, the crystal is," Yoda continued. "Focuses the Force from the Jedi, it does. If Jedi you are to become, enter the crystal cave, you must. Trust yourself, trust each other, and succeed, you will."
"Once you have found your crystal, do not remain inside," Yoda told them. "As daylight ends, the door will freeze over again, and you will be trapped."
"For how long?" Colrin asked.
"For one rotation," I said as the jedi entered the cave. "There will be nothing anyone can do for you."
"How will we know which crystal to pick?" Saavi asked.
"Only you can know which one is yours," I told them. "Now, hurry."
…
In the cave...
"How do they expect us to find our crystals when the whole place is made up of ice?" Saavi grumbled.
"I don't see the big deal," Daniyelle said. "I could easily last a night in here."
"From my calculations, taking into account the planetary movements in this system, um... the sun only rises on Ilum every 19 days," Emmed said, looking at his datapad.
"That's a very long night," Ylivea remarked, shivering.
"Well, I don't know about you lot, but enough with the chatter," Colrin said. "I'm gonna be the first to get my crystal and get out of here."
"Colrin, wait," Saavi reasoned. "Maybe we should stay together."
"No, thank you," Emmed replied. "You're on your own."
"Come on," Saavi said. "We need to keep moving."
"He's selfish," Ylivea pointed out.
"You're right," Raeyan decided. "He is selfish."
The younglings came to a crossroad. "Ugh!" Daniyelle said. "Which way now?"
"We don't have much time, and we have no idea where the crystals are," Saavi said. "We need to break into groups."
"What?" Ylivea asked.
"No," Emmed replied.
"Are we Jedi or cowards?" Daniyelle asked. No one questioned her.
"On the count of three, close your eyes and point to a door, and that's the direction each of us will go," Saavi ordered. The group closed their eyes. "One, two, three," They opened their eyes. Ylivea was pointing in one direction while Raeyan and Emmed were pointing in another while Daniyelle and Saavi where pointing in the final.
Ylivea desperately pointed in Daniyelle and Saavi's tunnel. "Uh, sorry, Ylivea," Saavi said sheepishly. "Looks like you're on your own."
"I meant that way, that way!" Ylivea squeaked.
"Ylivea, your instincts told you to go that way," Saavi reasoned. "You have to follow your instincts."
"But monsters!" Ylivea squeaked.
"You shouldn't be afraid of monsters, Ylivea," Daniyelle scoffed. "You're a Jedi." The jedi went in their separate directions.
…
Meanwhile, Colrin noticed a crystal hanging from a stalactite. "That must be a crystal," he realized, retrieving it.
"I don't think this is the right way," Saavi said uneasily. "We'd better go back."
"Don't be such a scaredy-tooka, Saavi," Daniyelle said. "Trust in the force..."
"Very funny, Niya," Saavi said flatly as her friend laughed. She noticed something glistening in the ice. "Wait," she said suddenly. "Up there! Look! Something's flashing."
"I can't see anything," Daniyelle replied.
"Why can't you see it?" Saavi asked.
"Oh, I dunno... maybe because it's your crystal?" said Daniyelle sarcastically. "They said only we would know." she looked at the steep cliff apprehensively. "You'll have to climb."
"But up there?" Saavi shivered. "It's... it's just so high. I can't do that."
"Oh, don't be such an idiot, Saavi," Daniyelle scoffed. "You're a jedi. You cam do this."
"What if I get up there and there's nothing?" Saavi asked.
"Well, that's a risk you'll have to take," Daniyelle told her. "Hey, you're lucky. I haven't even seen anything resembling my crystal yet. Good luck." And she ran off, leaving Saavi alone.
…
"A whistling?" Emmed asked. "I can't hear anything."
"I think it's my crystal," Raeyan told him. "I could go over there and get it..."
"Raeyan, no," Emmed said. "You'll never make it. You'll freeze to death if you fall in. You need to be patient. See how the sun is setting and moving away from the lake? Just like the door we came through, it's freezing over again. Once the water freezes over, you will have very little time to get your crystal and get out."
"Wha... fine," Raeyan grumbled.
"Now excuse me," Emmed said. "I have a crystal to find. And I'm running out of time. Good luck, Raeyan."
…
"This whole thing is ridiculous," Daniyelle grumbled. "I don't even think there are any crystals. You hear me? You just have us walking in circles until we freeze to death! I'm never gonna find a crystal, never!" She looked around, her face suggesting she was looking for something to punch.
…
"Looks like I'm the first back with my crystal," Colrin said triumphantly, walking out of the cave. "That wasn't so hard."
"And the others?" I asked, suspecting the answer. I'd had someone very similiar on my own gathering.
"Who knows?" Colrin asked, putting his hands (or feet, it's kinda hard to tell with dugs) behind his head. "I didn't want to gloat, since I found mine so quickly."
"Show us," Yoda ordered. He opened his hand, but there was nothing but water. "A crystal you have found," Yoda remarked. "Water you have brought."
"But that's impossible," Colrin spluttered. "It was my crystal. I was sure of it."
"Mm. So certain were you," Yoda said. "Go back, and closer you must look."
"But the door is already half closed," Colrin pointed out.
"Then you better hurry," I replied.
…
Saavi was trying to climb up the rockface. "You can do this, Saavi," she muttered. "You can do it."
…
"That's impossible," Emmed groaned. "It's saying there's crystals everywhere, but I can't see anything. Where? Which way? Ah! You're useless! Stupid, useless, dumb thing. You can't Even find a simple small crystal." He threw his datapad at the ice.
…
Ylivea walked along the tunnel, eyeing shapes in the snow. At one point she was so scared she nearly backed down, but she continued on regardless.
…
Daniyelle, meanwhile, was probably the least far along not including Colrin. She pulled a small black crystal on a string out of her tunic. "Maybe I could bring them this instead," she muttered.
She breathed in and out, copying me when Anakin's done something particularly stupid. "Okay, Daniyelle," she told herself. "Don't let your emotions get the better of you. Come on, now." She reached out with the force, finding a black crystal matching the one around her neck. "I knew it," she said triumphantly.
…
"I'm running out of time," Emmed said frantically. "Where is it? Come on, Emmed. You're gonna have to trust yourself instead of relying on technology. You can do it. I can feel it. It's close. I can sense it. I can sense it. That must be it." The ice imploded, revealing a blue kyber crystal.
…
"Oh, great," Saavi muttered as the ice in the cave caved in behind her. She ran forward to discover more ice. "Oh, no," she wept. "It's a dead end. Is anyone there? Can you hear me? Great. I have my crystal, but I'll never get out of this place."
…
"Well done, Raeyan," I awarded as Raeyan came out with her kyber crystal. "But two still remain."
…
"Ugh!" Saavi cried. "I'm running in circles." she spotted a familiar face on the other side of the ice. "Colrin! Colrin!"
"Saavi?" Colrin asked in shock.
"Colrin!" Saavi cried in relief. "I'm trapped. Can you help me get out?"
"I... I can't," Colrin said sheepishly. "I still haven't found my crystal."
"Colrin, you can't leave me!" Saavi exclaimed.
"I... I have to go," Colrin said, and ran off.
"Colrin, no!" Saavi yelled, sobbing. "Colrin! Colrin!"
…
"Will they make it, Master?" I asked.
"We should help them," Daniyelle said.
"Left the cave, you have," Yoda said. "Help them, you will not."
…
"Come on!" Saavi cried.
"Saavi," a voice yelled. "Saavi!"
"Colrin?" Saavi asked hopefully. The very face appeared on the other side. "Colrin!"
"There's no time," Colrin said. "Put your hand on the ice. Together, we can break it." The two did just that.
"I knew you'd come back," Saavi said happily. "Come on! The doors are closing." She turned to run, but Colrin didn't follow her. "Colrin?"
"Go ahead," Colrin said, staring into the alcove they left. "I think I see something."
"But it's too late," Saavi said.
"Trust me," Colrin told her. "Go."
…
"I have my crystal, but Colrin is still inside," Saavi said worriedly.
"Give up on your friend, do not," Yoda told her.
A familiar dug broke through the ice. "Colrin!" Saavi cried in relief.
"You made it," Ylivea said happily.
"How did he break the ice?" Daniyelle asked, eyes narrowed.
"Only water made solid was the door," Yoda explained. "Easy to break if you have the will."
"You said we would be trapped," Daniyelle said accusingly. I put my hand on her shoulder.
"Not by the cave you were but by your mind," Yoda said. "Lessons, you have learned. Find courage, you did, self-control, patience, trust, confidence, and selflessness. Yes?"
"Take your crystals back to the temple and keep them safe, young Jedi," I ordered.
"Yes!" Saavi said happily.
"So exciting," Raeyan exclaimed.
"Yay!" Ylivea said happily.
"All right!" Daniyelle said.
Me: I may have made a mistake...
Vaessa: Ya think?
Daniyelle: Hello viewers, my name is Daniyelle Kade, and I'm here with my two friends Vaessa Orin and -
Me: *claps hand over Daniyelle's mouth*
Daniyelle: *bites me*
Me: OOOWWWW!
Vaessa: Daniyelle!
Daniyelle: Aw c'mon, it's not like she can feel pain. She's a droid.
Vaessa: No she's not.
Colrin: Yes she is!
Saavi: No she isn't!
Raeyan: Yes she is:
Ylivea: No she isn't!
Emmed: Yes she is!
Me: No I am not!
Daniyelle: Where are you from then?
Me: L-
Daniyelle: DDDRRRROOOOOIIIIIIDDDDDDD!
Vaessa: Daniyelle!
Daniyelle: *runs around room*
Vaessa: *chases Daniyelle around room*
Me: Anyway, see you next chapter. If I'm still alive.
