Authors Note: This was inspired by watching Star Wars Episode III, which I might add, is an awesome film. Any similarities between this story and the film are down to that.
Pronunciation:
Jaida is pronounced Jayda.
Shinobi is pronounced Shin-o-bai
Shmi-Gol is pronounced Smee-Gol
Malachi is pronounced Malachai.
Yuth is pronounced Youth.
Enough from me, on to the story, enjoy.
Star Wars Journals: Nathaniel's Tale
Chapter 1: Hidden Talent
Hi, I'm Nathaniel. I can't tell you where I am right now, there are people out there who would kill to know where I am, and who would try to kill me if they found me. My life has been a tumultuous collection of disasters. I'd be a fool to pretend to be happy with it, and to be quite frank I'm disgusted at some of the things I've done. I've killed, maimed and tortured, all because I thought it was right at the time.
Now, I'm happier than I've ever been. But there's always something niggling inside my head, worried that my old life will somehow catch up on me.
Some days ago I took the decision to write my story down, just in case they do catch up with me and kill me, then they will know the truth, and perhaps then, only then, can I truly be at rest.
Here is my tale; I'll start at the very beginning, when the people who would ruin my life entered it for the first time…
The Council were in conference. The members sat in their red seats, surrounding the cloaked female standing in the centre. This woman was tall, and had a peaceful yet powerful aura about her. From her strangely beautiful face to her feet, hidden behind her flowing brown cloak, her appearance spoke of a woman who was extremely wise, and very powerful. She addressed the members of the Council, but her attention was focussed on the diminutive green creature seated in front of her, and the coloured man in the next chair.
"Masters," she spoke in an unusually deep voice, "I have encountered a strong youngling. The Force is concentrated around his body. I wish to bring him before you to be tested and trained." The green being rubbed his chin with his 3 fingered hands contemplatively. He turned his head, with two long pointed ears, and looked at the well-built coloured man beside him.
"What think you, Master Windu?" said Yoda in his croaky voice.
"As you well know, Master Jaida," spoke Mace Windu to the woman, "the council opens its arms to any new Jedi. You have our permission to bring this boy before us."
Master Jaida bowed to the Council,
"Thank you Master's, I will proceed to fetch him immediately. May the Force be with you." She turned on her heal and left.
"I'm looking for Nathaniel Illuminoi." The figure standing at the door to my house spoke to my mother in a peculiarly deep voice. My mum, bless her, took up a defensive pose, as all mothers would to protect their children. I was peeking around the threshold of our kitchen, only my forehead and eyes visible as I stared with a mixture of apprehension and fear at the strange figure, cloaked in an earthy brown.
"Why?" She questioned stubbornly, not trusting this stranger, "What do you want with him?" The figure gave a chuckle, though I couldn't quite see what was funny. The tall visitor pulled back her hood and revealed her face. Her skin looked smooth and was lightly browned, her handsome features telling of one who has lived through many battles, her entrancing blue eyes telling of one who had seen too much. She pulled back her cloak to reveal the weapon, holstered at her waist, a lightsaber.
She was a Jedi…well then what the hell did she want with me? She spoke again,
"You misunderstand me. I am a Jedi Knight, my name is Jaida, and I've come to collect him. He is to be trained as a Jedi." She turned her face round and looked directly at me, immediately knowing who I was. I couldn't believe it, me, trained as a Jedi. It was the dream of all my friends, me included, to become a Jedi; the mysterious tales surrounding their existence were to enthralling for us not to. I slipped sheepishly from behind the door frame and spoke up,
"Hi, I am Nathaniel." my small voice sounded weak and feeble next to her deep, strong tones. I extended my little hand shakily; Jaida reached out and shook it, her light brown skin in contrast to my pale white.
My mum, still not convinced, voiced her concerns,
"But…but he's only six years old, how will he be able to cope on his own?"
"He will not be alone," responded Jaida, "I will take him to the Jedi Temple, where he will live, be trained and his every need will be catered for until he is sixteen, when a Knight may take him on as a Padawan." My mother's resolve was weakening; she was running out of arguments. I was all she had, I was her only child and since my father had been murdered by an assassin (he had been a very prominent business man, very influential) almost six years ago, I was all my mother had to live for, and now she was losing me.
"Mum," I said nervously, biting my bottom lip to fight back the tears welling up in my young eyes, "don't worry, I'll come back and see you." My mum broke down, tears streaming down her face, sobs shaking her weakened body. She wrapped her loving arms around me, and then my defences shattered and tears crept down my cheeks leaving a wet, glistening path as they went. I hugged my mum back, my emotions causing turmoil in my head.
I sat in the shuttle, looking back out the window at my house, disappearing into the distance. I swivelled in my seat, trying getting comfortable, trying in vain to hide my anxiety as the shuttle ferried is across Coruscant. The decision to leave my mum had been a hard one to make; thinking about the fact that I was leaving her on her own made me want to burst into tears. Even now, when there was no turning back, I was wondering whether I had done the right thing, but I had to…as soon as Master Jaida had told me I was to become a Jedi, I had been filled with a sense of fulfilment, a sense of longing, knowing that this was what I was supposed to do. I had been inexplicably drawn into leaving.
The shuttle rounded a building and there it was, my home for the next ten years of my life, the Jedi Temple, its four external pillars surrounding the central tower, glinting in the dimming light, beckoning me closer. I was struck with a sense of awe, suddenly dumb, unable to find anything to say. I turned to the Jedi woman sitting next to me, taking a closer look at her. She was strangely beautiful, her darkened skin highlighting her deep eyes, full of wisdom. Her handsome features were studying me with a pensive look. She spoke to me for the first time on the shuttle, her rich tones lulling my nervousness,
"Nathaniel, learning to be a Jedi is not straightforward. It is hard and you will need to be completely focussed. Even if you succeed, the life is not easy either. The universe is a cruel place, full of evil and corruption. But, remember this, keep control of your emotions, focus and feel the force, and you will go far." She smiled at me and patted my head,
"Good luck." She said. The door to the shuttle opened and I realised that we had arrived. She stood up and left the shuttle, onto the landing platform. I followed her up to the doors of the great Temple. They slid open automatically with a mechanical hiss and we walked through them. A droid rolled up to us and spoke to Master Jaida after pausing a moment to scan her,
"Welcome Master Jaida," it said in a robotic voice. Master Jaida barely even acknowledged the droid, just issued it instructions,
"Please escort this young boy to the Council chambers."
"It would be my pleasure," replied the robot, "follow me please…"
"Nathaniel," I said, interpreting its uncertainty, "Nathaniel Illuminoi."
"Very good, please follow me, young sir."
I stood before the members of the Jedi Council, alone. My concentration was on the rectangular screen facing away from me, held in the hand of the man who had introduced himself as Jedi Master Mace Windu. The idea here was ridiculous; I was supposed to be able to tell him what was on the screen, without being able to see it! How was I supposed to do that, without any training? Impossible! I struggled with the butterflies flittering about in my stomach, trying not to look too nervous. I closed my eyes,
"But, remember this, keep control of your emotions, focus and feel the force, and you will go far." Master Jaida's words came back to me in a flash. I fought back my nerves, burying them in a far corner of my mind and regained my composure. I opened my eyes and instantly knew what was hidden from me.
"A lightsaber." I said confidently. Master Windu gave a nod and I could almost feel the image change.
"A speeder." I thought, my self-belief growing.
And so it went on. I passed the test, apparently. Master Yoda had told me that I would be shown to my dormitory and would begin my training in the morning. I had left the council chambers and a droid (the same one from the door, I think, all these droids look and sound identical to me) had taken me through the mass of corridors to my dormitory. It was a large room with perhaps ten bunks in it. The droid had left me at the door, and I was left to find my own bed. All were occupied bar one in the back corner, which I claimed as my own. The boys in the other bunks looked about my age, some possibly a couple of years older. I slipped out of my woollen top and clambered into my pod like bunk, and pulled the thin scarlet sheets over my naked torso. I soon fell into a deep sleep, where I dreamt of my mother, and the adventures tomorrow could bring.
When I awoke the next morning, I was surrounded to people. The others in my dormitory had woken up with a stranger in their room, and, had naturally come to investigate. I looked around; there were many different species in here, I was the only human as far as I could see. Everyone was staring at me as if I was some spectacle at an Intergalactic Zoo. The boy leaning against my bunk, however, was glaring at me with a look of barely concealed contempt. Choosing to ignore this, I swung my legs over the side of the bunk, preparing to meet everyone. As soon as my feet hit the cold stone floor, the burly boy, who looked about eight years old, was standing in front of me, arms folded in an aggressive stance. His pale green skin reeked of bad attitude and his dark brown eyes burned with fiery anger. He raised his right hand, and, using the middle of his three stumpy green fingers, prodded me hard in the chest, forcing me onto my back in my bunk. I rubbed the point where he had pushed me as he started speaking in a loud bullish voice,
"I bet you think you're better than all us," he said indignantly, sweeping an arm, indicating everyone else, "being brought in by a Knight." He didn't say this as a question, more as a fact which he thought he already knew. I tried to reply, to set the record straight
"Em…no…I-" My reply was cut off by the bully,
"Well let me tell you something, punk. Round here, I'm in charge. Round here, I'm the oldest, I'm the smartest. You will respect me." Obviously he was used to getting his own way and didn't want that to change. I decided that he was the best of this class and this had probably made him arrogant, making him think he was better, and above everyone else.
"O…ok then," I responded hesitantly, "and you are?" There was an audible, sharp intake of breath from his audience, clearly no one talked back to him. The anger in his eyes deepened and he raised his left hand, curling his green fingers into a fist, and brought it crashing down into my stomach. All the air was forced from my lungs and my stomach felt like it had been turned into mush. I was doubled up with pain, helplessly gasping for a breath. The bully sneered at me and turned away,
"That ought to teach him."
I lay in my bunk, nursing my aching stomach until everyone began to leave, heading for the morning class. I stood up, teetering as I attempted to stand up straight, wincing as the muscles in my abdomen complained. I followed the class out of the doors and we headed to a corridor directly opposite our dorm. I hung back, hoping someone would talk to me, but no one did. They all gave me curious and sceptical glances. We reached the class room and I noticed another group of kids outside the door. They were the girls. In total there were about 25 people outside. I lingered at the back, uncertain of myself. The girls were giving me curious glances as their friends from the boy's dormitory related the events surrounding my arrival. There was a curious clicking behind us and everyone turned, suddenly silenced. Master Yoda had arrived, his wooden walking stick supporting his movements, clicking against the floor as he walked. He greeted us in a friendly manner,
"Good morning younglings." He opened the doors in front of us and let us in. My training was about to begin.
The class was a round room, with windows spanning the height of the walls. The floor was carpeted a deep red, with a lighter red in a circle at the centre. Master Yoda demanded attention with his mere presence, so there was no need to silence the class before he spoke,
"Younglings," he croaked, "a new friend among us, we have," everyone turned to look at me and I felt the heat rising in my cheeks as they flushed, "Nathaniel, he is. Make him welcome, I'm sure you will." Yoda directed us over towards a pile of objects in the corner.
"Pair up please," said Yoda, "Moving the object with the force, an essential skill for a Jedi it is. Practice this, you will." My heart sank, no one would want to be my partner. To my surprise, one of the girls made her way straight towards me. She was human, like me, about my age, quite small, with light brown hair falling down to her shoulders. She smiled at me as she approached, which lit up her pretty features and sparkling hazel eyes.
"Hi," she said in a sweet voice, "I'm Shinobi." She extended her small hand and I shook it, grateful for her forwardness. I repeated my name to her and we went to choose an object to practice on. We picked an ordinary, deep brown box and took it over to a corner to practice on. We started talking again,
"I heard what happened this morning, are you ok?" She asked concernedly
"Yea, I'm fine, a bit sore but fine, who was he?"
"That was Shmi-Gol."
"Ok, and what's his problem with me?" This had been puzzling me all morning.
"Well, he's the most powerful in this class, and, 'cos you were brought in by a Jedi Knight, it stands to be said that you are pretty powerful too… I think he feels threatened by you." She smiled at me in what looked like admiration. I was glad of someone to talk to. I liked Shinobi; it was good to feel like I had made a friend. We turned our attention back to the block and I attempted to move it.
"Remember younglings," Master Yoda preached as he walked amongst us, making sure we were all coping, "It matters not the size of the object."
I closed my eyes and tried to focus on the box, wondering how I was supposed to do this without any help. I willed the box to move, concentrating my mind on it. I peeked out through my left eye, barely opening it. The box was still where it had been thirty seconds ago. I frowned, but I hadn't really expected to get anywhere first time round.
Concentrating again I extended my hands towards the box and concentrated. Still unsure what I was supposed to do, I imagined the box lifting off the ground. Again, the box stayed where it was. I turned around to find Shinobi, to offer her a shot, and caught site of Shmi-Gol and some friends openly laughing at my vain attempts to move the object. Catching me looking, Shmi-Gol imitated my efforts, exaggerating my pose and the look of intense concentration I had been wearing (I don't concentrate with my tongue poking out from between my lips!). He dropped the imitation and effortlessly lifted his cylinder off the ground. Anger billowing up inside me I turned around again to find Shinobi, also looking at Shmi-Gol, a look of intense disgust disfiguring her pretty face.
Master Yoda glided past and spoke to me,
"The box, you must feel. Its particles, you must move."
I acknowledged his advice, but allowed Shinobi to take my place. She focussed on the box, her brow furrowing in meditation. The box began to shake, before unsteadily lifting off the ground a few inches. It steadied itself and lowered to the ground again. I turned to Shinobi, grinning, to see a look of flushed contentment on her face.
"I've never been able to do that before," she beamed, "you must be a good luck charm."
Spurred on by her success, I felt ready for another go. I closed my eyes and focussed upon the box, trying to follow Master Yoda's help. I could sense the particles that the box was composed of. I willed them to move, manipulating the Force. Shakily, the box lifted off the ground, floating a few inches off the floor. Noticing this progress by glancing out of my eyes, I lost my concentration for a split-second and the box tumbled back to the floor with a dull thud. I was filled with a sense of immense pride as Master Yoda passed me again and congratulated me.
The rest of the lesson passed swiftly. By the end of it, I was able to levitate the box confidently and move it through the air a little bit. The class filed out of the room after Master Yoda had dismissed us for lunch. I walked next to Shinobi and some of her friends how were introduced as Malachi (a boy from the bunk opposite me) and Yuth (a girl with the same features as Master Yoda). At lunch I sat with Shinobi and her friends. She ensured that I was included in the conversation for which I was thankful, as I got to know Malachi and Yuth. Malachi was a small boy with a red face and hair which was split in two after rising off his head, each tendril falling down either side of his face. The hair was white, hoped with black. Yuth looked almost the same as Master Yoda apart from her youth and energy that shone from every pore of her green face and pointed ears. I found Shinobi to be a tantalising person, full of exciting stories and tales. I was surprised at how well we got along. I found talking to her easy; I didn't feel uncomfortable at all. Her hazel eyes sparkled as she spoke to us and countless times I found myself getting lost in their deep and dazzling colour.
After lunch we headed through the corridors to another classroom where we were greeted by Master Windu. This class was History of the Force. We leaned about the Jedi in the previous centuries and their exploits which led to the extinction of the Sith (the mortal enemies of the Jedi). I was seated between Shinobi and Malachi. Yuth was on Malachi's other side. The classroom was stuffy and quite small and, despite my best efforts, I found my attention slipping as the heat tried to coax me into falling asleep. After a couple of hours in the warmth, we were dismissed for the day.
The rest of the daylight was spent giving me a tour of the rest of the Temple. Shinobi, Yuth and Malachi made good guides, telling me the do's and don'ts and recounting their escapades around each area. I was shown the dorms for the older kids, the teenagers. I was told to avoid this area, as the teenagers tended to be moody. I was warned that the Padawan trials were in two days and everyone had the day off to watch. This made the teenagers more cantankerous then normal. As we had been lingering outside the senior dorm, Shmi-Gol had appeared a corner, flanked by his cronies. The gang had stopped at us and were getting kicks out of threatening us and name-calling. Malachi's wise-cracking mouth wasn't doing us any favours either, and, before their threats progressed from empty to full, a disgruntled teenager had appeared, irritated that his studies had been interrupted by the commotion. His cropped dirty blonde hair sat on top of his slightly spotty face, wearing a tight fitting white tunic, fastened around his waist by a thick brown belt. He quickly told Shmi-Gol and company to clear off, he asked us if we were ok and then introduced himself as Obi-Wan-Kenobi.
"Ok, it's nice to meet you all, but do you mind…" His voice had trailed off, a flicker of anxiety passing across his face as he remembered the upcoming trials. We took the hint, quickly thanked him and scrammed.
They then showed me the library, where I was allowed to go, though was warned against it as Shmi-Gol and his gang liked to hang about here, and Malachi donned an angry grimace as he narrated the time when he was thrown out by the librarian for losing his temper with Shmi-Gol (Shmi-Gol had been openly bad-mouthing Malachi, Yuth and Shinobi within earshot of a frustrated Malachi).
When I returned to the dorm that night with Malachi, we headed straight to our bunks, discussing the days lessons. Shmi-Gol and some friends returned soon after, and I distinctly heard one of his friends say (deliberately being audible) "how hopeless that new kid was". I ignored the comment, not wanting a repeat of this mornings thumping. I lay down in bed and thought about my day. I had learned a lot and made some friends, I had enjoyed it (the morning excluded). I found myself feeling excited about the upcoming Padawan trials, watching them would be a great experience. I could see myself in ten years time, sixteen years old and preparing to take the Padawan trials, just like the teenagers living in another part of the Temple, in hope of becoming Apprentice to someone, someone like Master Jaida. If I do become a Padawan, I thought to myself, I hope Master Jaida is my master, she seems nice enough. Ruminating on these thought I drifted away into a deep and peaceful sleep.
There was no crowd to greet me when I woke up the next morning. However, I noticed Shmi-Gol sniggering when he looked at me. With an annoyed frown I wondered why he had been laughing. Malachi was already up and he told me that I might want to go and wash my face. Sense of dread rising I walked to the toilets and looked in a mirror. To my disgust, Shmi-Gol (or one of his cronies, I doubted if he was brave enough to do it himself) had covered my face in a filthy black foam. I quickly washed it off my face, revealing my pale skin underneath. I left the bathroom and got dressed with the rest of the boys.
After breakfast, we went back to the same classroom we had been in yesterday morning. Master Yoda was again taking the class and gathered us round to tell us we would be doing some lightsaber practice today. He sent one of the boys to a hidden cupboard in the wall and practice weapons were brought out. Also, metallic spheres were brought out, along with strange looking face masks. The practice lightsabers were distributed amongst the pupils, the spheres hovered in front of us, one per person and we were told to put the masks on. We found a space on the floor to practice, Shinobi beside me and, much to my annoyance, Shmi-Gol behind me. I slipped my mask over my face, it was pitch black inside. I couldn't see anything. Master Yoda was speaking,
"The Force you must feel," he taught, "not to trust your eyes, you must learn." I extended my lightsaber, holding it in the only way that felt right, with my right hand gripping the top of the handle, my left underneath it. The glowing blade slid out with a hum. The hum of lightsabers filled the room as my classmates prepared. I readied my blade and waited. The darkness surrounding me was disconcerting, my eyes complaining at their inability to see the hidden dangers. I began to feel very claustrophobic and panicky. Suddenly, I gasped as a sharp stinging shot through my left knee and I felt the shock travel through the rest of my body.
"Release your fear," called Yoda, "focussed, you must be." I steadied myself again and tried to concentrate, waiting to feel something. Upon a sudden instinct I swung my sword to the right as I was struck again by the sphere. But, I had made progress; I had known where the blow was going to fall. Confidence growing I faced my invisible opponent.
Several shocks later, I had made no more progress. I could sense the shots coming, but not quick enough. My body was sore from the persistent jolts and my arms were tiring. I prepared myself again, using my entire mind to focus, I could sense the sphere, waiting to attack me. Still I waited. I moved fast, thrusting my lightsaber down to cover my right knee. My blade shuddered as it absorbed the energy from the bullet. I had done it. Excited I readied myself once more, quickly blocking a shot aimed at my chest before swinging the blade to defend against another two attacks aimed at my left leg and shoulder. Triumphant, I was beaming into the face mask; though no-one could see me. Suddenly, I sensed an assault from the rear. I didn't even pause to think about what it might be; I just spun my lightsaber behind my head and felt a shock travel along the blade as another lightsaber connected with mine. I shrugged the blow off, throwing the other blade to the side.
I quickly pulled my face mask off and turned to see what had happened. Shmi-Gol was there, his face flushing with embarrassment and anger, having hit the floor hard after I had thrown off his blade.
"Nice try." I said with a satisfied grin. Yoda was there in a flash, demanding an explanation. Shmi-Gol immediately told Yoda that he had slipped and fallen forward. I didn't bother arguing, firstly because for all I knew he hadn't attacked me purposefully, and secondly I didn't want to cause trouble. Yoda congratulated us on our progress and dismissed us.
After lunch we attended Astrology lesson. This was taught by Master Windu again. He taught us how to navigate our way through the 3D star maps contained inside tiny see-through spheres. This lesson I found more interesting than our History class yesterday. After another couple of hours, remembering star names and making notes on the sectors of the universe, we were dismissed for our free time again. I spent it with my friends, and we wandered aimlessly around the Temple chattering about everything and anything. At the end of the day we went our separate ways, and Malachi and I spent the rest of the night in our dormitory, discussing tomorrow's trials. I was eagerly anticipating these now, as it would give me an idea of the standard expected. Shmi-Gol and his posse appeared later, but said nothing. Indeed, Shmi-Gol seemed quite distracted and subdued, probably still carrying a bruised pride and smarting buttocks. The thought gave me a sense of grim contentment as I remembered the crippling pain his fist had caused me yesterday morning.
I lay back in my bed, hands folded beneath my head. Slowly, the rest of the boys fell asleep and an unnatural hush fell across the dorm. I closed my eyes and let my thoughts wander from Shmi-Gol to the trials tomorrow, from my lessons to my mum. I felt a pang of guilt, remembering that I hadn't thought of her since I had arrived here yesterday, though I consoled myself by telling myself that I had been to busy to do so. I eventually fell into an uneasy sleep, where I dreamt of my mum.
The next morning a buzzing excitement had descended like a storm cloud upon the Temple. We all awoke early, quickly got dressed to go and watch the arrival of the Jedi Knights from across the galaxies. Malachi and I met Shinobi and Yuth, and we headed to the entrance. We looked on in awe as a multitude of Jedi Knights arrived one by one. There were only two humans amongst them, and Yuth told me that they were Master Qui-Gon-Jin and of course I already knew Master Jaida. When she arrived I felt a sense of dignity, knowing that this impressive woman, arriving with the elite of the Jedi, had handpicked me, and had arrived personally to pick me up. She caught my eye and gave me a small smile, which I returned.
We followed the Knights through to an immense auditorium. The vast room was rectangular with circular ends; its mighty stone walls looked shiny and new. From some far off corner of the hall, a band played an up-beat fanfare which floated and echoed as it traversed the gulf of space. Stands had been set up, surrounding a square arena, the tallest of which was decorated with flowing banners which seemed to change colour every time you looked. In this stand sat the members of the council and the Jedi Knights who had made the arduous journey back to the temple. About twenty of the would-be-Padawan were lined up around the arena, they kept shifting their weight from foot to foot, unable to hide their nerves. Their eyes were casting nervy glances up towards their would-be-Masters, and then darting down towards the red mat on the floor.
The younger children filed in to the hall, everyone as dumbstruck with awe as the next, the enormity of the place overwhelming them. Once they overcame their shock, they made their way to the remaining three stands surrounding the arena. After taking in the breathtaking site, I followed Shinobi, Malachi and Yuth towards the stands. We filed into some seats, four rows from the front of the stand along one side of the square. After we had sat down, I glanced across the row of anxious teens. I found Obi-Wan-Kenobi, he was talking to a tall, blue-skinned friend of his, his hands fidgeting with each other.
The hall filled quickly, and, once it was full, Master Yoda stood up and raised his hand for silence. Instantaneously, he had the rapt attention of every person in the vast auditorium.
"To the trials," he croaked, "I welcome you all. Our gratitude, I extend to the many Jedi Knights who have arrived." A brief round of applause ensued. Yoda raised his hands to the ceiling and all eyes followed, and for the first time I noticed a cauldron like object floating there. It had three shining metal feet and a transparent body, inside were about twenty spheres, one for each candidate I surmised, which were spinning around furiously. Each sphere was similarly coloured, a sort of shimmering, glittery blue. The cauldron began to gradually descend towards the centre of the arena floor, stopping parallel to the stand with the Jedi Knights. Yoda was spinning his left hand round and round, mixing the spheres up. Master Windu stood up and addressed the focused crowd,
"Each sphere contains a name of one candidate. Two will be drawn at a time. When your name gets called," he turned to face the teenagers, a few of whom were looking positively terrified now, their faces pale, mouths clamped shut, "kindly step forward to dual your opponent. The lightsabers are set to stun. You may use any means suitable of a Jedi Warrior to defeat your opponent. Good luck to you all, let the trials begin."
He sat down again, his beady eyes fixed upon the cauldron. One of the Knights stood up, of the same species as Shmi-Gol, and extended one hand towards the cauldron. One of the spheres froze in the cauldron, and began to float, suddenly glowing a fiery orange. It rose above the lip of the cauldron and imploded, leaving a name written in flames, hovering in the air. Marl-Ti-Xeno, the name glowed for a few seconds, before extinguishing itself. One of the candidates, Obi-Wan-Kenobi's friend, recognised his name and stepped forward, face ashen. He summoned a lightsaber to him, the sword flying through the air and landing lightly in his hand. The Knight reclaimed his seat and another stood up, Master Jaida this time. She stretched out her arm and another name appeared, the fiery letters sending flickers of light across the room. Tir-Axel. A female stepped forward and summoned her weapon. The spheres stopped spinning and the cauldron raised itself to the roof again. The teenagers faced each other, glaring defiance into each others eyes.
There was a hum as their blades slid to full length and then they dove at each other, blades clashing as they met. It was the fastest sword fight I'd ever witnessed, each Jedi determined to succeed in impressing their peers. Each body was spinning, weapons swinging through the air, sparks flying as the fighters blocked, parried and then launched a ferocious attack. I hadn't blinked since the duel started, afraid of missing something vital. The fighters clashed off each other and there was a stand-off, the warriors circling each other, searching for a chink in the impenetrable defences of their opponent, whilst trying to catch their breath. They started again, blades whirring through the air. Marl-Ti-Xeno swung his blade to the left as Tir-Axel attacked to the right, the lightsabers struck flesh. The fighters were thrown in opposite directions, landing hard on the mat before rolling back onto their feet, tunics singed and smoking, red raw skin showing beneath. They attacked again, slower this time, both tiring. Tir-Axel was gaining the upper hand, being lighter and nimbler than Marl-Ti-Xeno. She was forcing him backwards, his blocks becoming more frantic and desperate. Finally his defences broke and with a quick spin of her blade, Tir-Axel had him disarmed, his lightsaber landing on the ground some metres away. Using the Force, she tripped him up and tossed him to the ground, pointing her sword at his face. An appraising and enthusiastic applause rippled round the crowd as she sheathed her blade, helping Marl to his feet, shaking his hand and congratulating him for the good fight. The sweating fighters turned to bow towards the Knights and retook their places in the line of teenagers.
The trials lasted a few more hours, but to me it flew past in a flurry of fast, impressive lightsaber duels. Obi-Wan-Kenobi had won his fight and he looked to be on impressive form. Eventually, the cauldron emptied of spheres, and the candidates were taken away for the selection process, which we were not allowed to attend. We were dismissed and given the rest of the day free. I knew that after the selection, a dance was thrown for the candidates and the Knights, in honour of the day. My friends and I spent the rest of the day talking almost non-stop about the phenomenal show of skill we had witnessed. By that evening, rumours were flying round about the selection process, two of which stuck out for me. Firstly, Obi-Wan-Kenobi had been accepted as Padawan by the illustrious Qui-Gon-Jinn and, secondly, that Master Jaida had not selected any Apprentice.
That night, Malachi and I returned to the dormitory late, having wanted to stay and talk with Shinobi and Yuth. We were still yapping on about the trials, attempting to recreate the more extraordinary manoeuvres we had seen, without swords of course. We went to bed in high spirits, laughing loudly at ourselves. I lay down in my bunk and, after my excited heart-rate had slowed, I floated into an easy sleep, dreaming about the trials.