Well folks, here's the latest chapter, and the conclusion to the setup, next chapter we'll be diving into the series proper.

Today's recommendation is Rocked Reviews, a music reviewer on Youtube who primarily reviews Rock albums. Of particular note are two of his series, Regretting The Past, where he looks at Rock albums that were incredibly popular/successful but which, in hindsight, really didn't deserve that success, and Billboard Gets Rocked, a monthly series where he looks at the top 10 most popular Rock songs in the country as reported by the Billboard Rock charts.

Walking a Tightrope Chapter 3 (V. 1)

Coruscant 22 BBY

Nitai was practically bouncing in his seat as he gazed with wide, awestruck eyes at the massive number of ships streaming towards Coruscant. There were so many that he was fairly certain that if all of the stars in the sky were to go out nobody on Coruscant would notice, due to how many glowing lights there were coming from the ships' thrusters.

He had talked only a few moments ago with one of the numerous space port control officers and requested a landing pad near the Jedi temple, now he was idling around in orbit waiting for a response, and he didn't have to wait long.

"Shuttle, you are cleared for landing at dock 178, pad B, I am sending you the coordinates now." A voice crackled through the speakers and Nitai smiled as the location showed up on his projected map, it was easily within walking distance of the Jedi temple, or at least what he assumed was walking distance. Chiida had warned him about how crowded and confusing the streets of Coruscant were, mostly due to how many different layers there were. "Thanks, control, I'm making my way there now."

He punched the coordinates into the navicomputer and set the shuttle to autopilot as it made the descent through the atmosphere of Coruscant. As got up from his chair S1 wheeled into the room and bumped into his leg.

"Huh, what is it S1?" He asked, and the white and red droid scooted back before projecting a small hologram of master Chiida.

"Nitai, I instructed S1 to give you this message once you reached Coruscant. I know that you had to leave your training sabers back home, and you have yet to construct your own lightsaber, so I figured that I might as well give you another gift to celebrate your departure." He said, and a small hatch opened up in the front of S1's body, and one of his mechanical arms popped out, clutching a very familiar lightsaber. Nitai tentatively reached out, as if afraid that it would dissolve into smoke if he touched it, and his fingers wrapped around the well-worn metal hilt. He raised it and ignited the blade, its light blue blade springing to life. He then deactivated it and bowed to the projection of Chiida. "Thank you master." The projection only chuckled in response. "There's no need to thank a recorded message Nitai, and before you ask, no I didn't use the Force to foresee that, I just know you too well. I want you to take S1 with you to meet with the Council, I have a message for them that should ease some of their worries regarding taking a student of mine into the fold. Also, try not to drive the masters too crazy, but feel free to try and inject some life into them, they could use a kick in the backside every now and again, keeps them on their toes." The young Sith's face darkened slightly with embarrassment as the projection ended and he strapped the saber to his right hip.

It took only took about a quarter of an hour for the ship to guide itself to its designated landing pad. The dock near the Jedi Temple was rarely used, since most Jedi simply docked their ships in the hangars within the Temple itself, and the local district was mostly absent of other attractions, and so many visitors tended to dock elsewhere and take rail transports or hovercars to visit the area and see the Temple once or twice before going on to visit the more crowded and 'interesting' parts of the planet.

Nitai stopped by his room and looked himself over in the mirror one last time. He had changed into a fresh set of robes that had been made for him at master Chiida's insistence so that he could 'look the part' of a Jedi. They had decided to go for a brown robe and tunic, with white pants and a set of sturdy, leather boots. He personally thought it looked a bit a bit drab, but that might have just been because his people tended to prefer brighter colors, and when they wore dark colors they typically stuck to black, it was generally rather hard to find other dark colors that looked good when paired with the crimson-hued skin of the Sith.

"Well S1, we shouldn't keep the esteemed masters waiting." He said as they lowered the ramp and stepped out onto the docking pad. The various pads were separated by walls to provide some measure of privacy for loading and unloading ships, although it probably would have been fairly easy to see into the docking areas from one of the countless skyscrapers which surrounded the dock, but he supposed that it was the thought that counted. As they made their way through the terminal where several pilots were idling about, presumably waiting for cargo to be loaded or unloaded, Nitai couldn't help but stare, and probably would have stood there for hours if S1 hadn't jabbed his leg with one of his mechanical dendrites.

Nitai had seen aliens before, in pictures, videos, and holograms, but it was an entirely different thing to see them in person. He had so many questions to ask, where did they come from, what was their biology like? But there were more pressing matters to attend to.

Luckily for Nitai the Temple district, as it was sometimes called, was relatively uncrowded compared to most of the other areas of Coruscant, and was also generally more appealing to look at. Most of the buildings lacked any sort of ostentatious ornamentation or advertisements, and there were even a few parks and leisurely looking sitting areas, although as he walked by them he had to resist the urge to ask how they prevented the roots of the trees and plants from poking out through the floor, and he marveled at how much effort it must take to maintain such places so high above the surface of the planet.

As Nitai made his way towards the Jedi Temple he noticed several odd posters that had been put up, calling for people to 'do your part for the war effort.' "War? Did you know that there was a war going on, S1?" He asked and the astromech did the closest thing it could approximate to a shrug, lowering its body slightly before raising it again.

After nearly half an hour of walking he finally found himself standing on the Processional Way, the main boulevard which connected the Jedi Temple to the rest of the Temple district. He was surprised at how quiet and tranquil it seemed as he got closer and closer to the Temple, as if all the noise of Coruscant was being blocked out. There were a few robed Jedi idling about near the entrance of the temple, while to most observers they would have looked to be relaxing, he could tell from the way that they stood and how their hands lingered near their lightsabers that they were actually on guard.

It was a bit disturbing to see the Jedi so unnerved, and he guessed that it was probably due to the war. He knew that the Jedi sometimes intervened in the conflicts that posed a threat to the Republic or the Order as a whole, so if this war was big enough to get them involved and on edge, then it must have been bad. As he approached one of the Jedi walked forward, an older man with long, dark blond hair. "Hold there, I don't recognize you as one of our Padawans, state your name and purpose." He said, holding up a hand to indicate that Nitai should come no further.

Nitai stopped in place and bowed. "I apologize, honorable Jedi. My name is Nitai Zeama, I have come to the Temple to deliver a message to the Jedi Council on behalf of my master, a former member of you order, Seer Chiida." He said as he straightened back up and the older Jedi's eyes widened in surprise.

"Chiida, as in Koshiv Chiida?" He said, and this time it was Nitai's turn to look surprised. His master had told him that almost nobody ever referred to him by his first name, and many didn't even know that he had one. Most natives of Diyogos, Chiida's home planet, identified themselves with their family name, and would only use given names amongst family members, friends, or in situations where it was necessary to avoid confusion.

"That is him, are you familiar with him?" The Jedi only smiled fondly at Nitai's question. "We were good friends before his departure, he was a few years ahead of me but we dueled one another quite frequently. After all there are few better ways to test one's skills than by dueling against someone who is skilled in precognition." He said before nodding to the other Jedi. "I will take him to the council, you stay on guard, I'll be back shortly." He said before leading Nitai and S1 deeper into the Temple. "I am Master Cin Drallig, I imagine Chiida didn't mention me, but he was a good man. It was unfortunate that he had to take leave from the Temple."

As Nitai made his way alongside the Jedi Master he found himself constantly craning his neck to look at the high, vaulting ceilings of the Temple. He had never seen a building so massive and impressive, he figured that it was good that the Jedi were so austere and had apparently avoided providing much ornamentation for the Temple aside from a few statues and murals, since it would have been quite the hassle to hang banners or tapestries from such high ceilings, even with hoverpads.

"So how is old Chiida doing? Still doing that thing where he answers your sentences before you ask them?" Cin asked as he got onto an turbolift with Nitai and S1.

"Yes, but you get used to it after a while, and eventually he realizes what he's doing and stops. I think it's just become habit for him to look a few seconds into the future, and once you get into that habit it can become hard to break." Nitai responded, Chiida sometimes had trouble telling when he was seeing a few moments into the future and when he was just seeing the present, but it did come in handy sometimes, and it made it much harder to play tricks on him, which Nitai and some of the other young Sith had always taken as a challenge.

Once the turbolift had risen to the level of the Jedi Council in the Southwestern Spire, Nitai, S1, and Master Cin left the turbolift. "You stay out here, I will enter and inform the Council of your arrival." He said, Nitai nodded and glanced down at S1. As Cin entered the council chamber S1 beeped slightly and Nitai glanced at the astromech out of the corner of his eye. "It wasn't technically a lie, we do have a message for them from Master Chiida, that's just not the only reason we're here." He grinned slightly but quickly wiped the expression from his face as Master Cin reemerged.

"The council is ready to see you, I must return to my post, but I hope this will not be our last meeting." He said, Nitai nodded respectfully to the older Jedi. "Thank you, and may the Force be with you." He said before walking into the council chamber.

Nitai had been able to sense a strong presence in the Force since he had entered the Temple, but he had simply assumed that it was the result of so many Jedi being gathered together in one place. But when walking into the chamber he was very quickly made aware of his error, while a great deal of the Force presence was due to the proximity of so many Force sensitives, a very significant contributor to that presence was one individual. Chiida had told Nitai about Master Yoda, and his immense power with the Force and the presence he exuded, but Nitai had always assumed those stories to be just exaggerations. Yet as his eyes fell upon the diminutive green alien he could tell that if anything, Chiida had been underselling him.

Nitai opened his mouth to speak, but instead it simply hung open for several moments, before S1 jabbed him in the leg with an electrically charged dendrite, causing him to yelp. "Gah, I apologize, revered masters, I was briefly overwhelmed, I can assure you it will not happen again." He said, bowing from the waist. As he straightened back up he noticed that a few of the seats, which were arranged in a circle aside from a small gap for the door, were empty, lacking even a projected hologram of one of the masters that was currently absent but listening in.

"We have been told that you have brought a message from a former member of our order." A bald, dark-skinned Jedi said, and Nitai nodded.

"That is correct, Master Chiida unfortunately could not deliver it on his own, he felt it would be inappropriate to do so, since it would break his exile which has still not been revoked. S1, you may play the message." He said, and S1 wheeled into the center of the circle of masters, projecting an image of directly above himself.

"Greetings honorable council, I regret that I have been unable to deliver this message to you myself, but I felt it would be improper considering my state of exile. While searching for a place to spend the rest of my days I happened to stumble across an inhabited planet in uncharted space. The species there claimed to be descended from humans and red-skinned Zabrak, refugees who had fled a great war and isolated themselves from the rest of the galaxy." He said, and Nitai was silently thankful that his master had decided to give the explanation they had devised, along with his grandmother, to explain his species. He had been worried that he might not be able to lie to such powerful Jedi, but it was impossible to use the Force to tell if a hologram was lying. "Many of these people wish to remain hidden, as they have grown mistrusting of the wider galaxy, but this young man, Nitai Zeama, is quite different. I have watched him grow and he has long desired to see the galaxy beyond the confines of his home planet. When I detected his ability to use the Force I saw an excellent opportunity for him to fulfill that desire. I was planning on sending him to you immediately, but his parents were quite insistent that I train him personally, as they trusted me far more than the Order. I have done my best to give him appropriate training, and believe him to be adequately prepared to take on the title of Padawan." The hologram said before pausing, and the council broke into quiet discussion as many of the Masters turned to consult with their neighbors.

"With all due respect, Seer Chiida was exiled for a reason. His teachings on the Force were quite unorthodox and untested, how are we to know if this child even has the proper mindset to be a Jedi?" One of the Masters spoke up Nitai turned to look and saw that it was a particularly hairy individual, and he was having trouble figuring out where the hair ended and face began.

"I hope you are not suggesting that I have fallen, Master Rancisis." The hologram of Chiida spoke up again, causing the discussion to suddenly stop. "And before anyone asks, yes, this is just a recording. But I felt it necessary to use my precognition that I might offer any rebuttals to such accusations. But you always were a cautious one, and your fears are not entirely unfounded. But I can assure you that young Nitai has been trained in the traditional manner, while he can be a bit overly enthusiastic at times, and his curiosity about the galaxy seems boundless, he is good at heart, and I have always made it clear to him what my views on the Dark side were."

"If you give yourself over to the Dark side in the search for power, knowledge or safety, you will only find yourself weak, stupid, paranoid, and miserable to boot." Nitai parroted almost instinctively. "Very good, Nitai, glad to see I managed to make the most important lesson stick." The hologram chuckled before bowing once again. "I leave his fate in your hands, but I would suggest that you give some careful thought to it, when darkness falls, it is good to have an extra source of light, even if it is only a single candle." And with that, the projection flickered out of existence.

"Hmmm…" All eyes turned to Master Yoda, this had been his first utterance since Nitai had entered the chamber. "Know Seer Chiida well, I did. Fall to the Dark side, he would not." The diminutive Jedi's gaze shifted to Nitai. "Allow him to join the Order, we shall, but under supervision, he will be."

"But these are trying times, first we should inform him of what we might face." Another Master spoke up, this one was orange-skinned and had a strange contraption covering his mouth and eyes, Nitai tried to search for the name of the species before eventually it came to him, Kel Dor. "The Jedi Order and the Republic are currently engaged in a war with a group of Separatists led by Count Dooku, a Jedi who has fallen to the Dark side and now claims the title of Sith Lord." At those words Nitai stiffened slightly in fear. A large-scale conflict was bad enough, but if there was a Sith Lord, that made it all the more complicated. A war over 'normal' circumstances could potentially be dealt with diplomatically, but if a Sith Lord was maneuvering in the background, that would make any chance of working things out through diplomacy difficult, if not entirely impossible.

"Well now you've just made the decision easier." He said as he plastered a smile on his face to hide the fact that his mind was racing. "I doubt that Master Chiida was unaware of this, so if he decided to send me out in spite of this threat then he must have had a reason, and besides, it wouldn't be right for me to run home with my tail between my legs, leaving such a threat to the galaxy at large." This statement did at least seem to draw approving looks from some of the Masters, or at least what he thought were approving looks, it was hard to tell with some of them.

"Well Master Plo, you can show our new Padawan to his quarters so that he can get situated." The bald human spoke up, and the orange skinned alien rose from his seat and beckoned for Nitai and S1 to follow him.

"Thank you for guiding me, Master Plo, I doubt that I would be able to find my way around the Temple on my own." Nitai said with a smile as they left the chamber and stepped onto the turbolift, which quickly shot downwards. Now that he was out of the tense air of the Council chamber he felt much more at ease.

"It is no trouble at all, and although your circumstances are unusual I hope that you will come to think of this Temple as your home." The Jedi said, and Nitai idly wondered if his voice was naturally that deep, or if it was due to the interference of his mask.

"I hope so as well." Nitai said before kneeling down next to S1. "S1, I want you to head back to the ship and bring it to the Temple. You can stay on the ship while I get settled in, I'll call you once I know what the order has planned for me. Do you have any idea who the council might assign me to?" He directed the last question to Plo Koon as he stood up.

"Hmm, I have an idea. There is one master who has had success training a Padawan who came to us under unusual circumstances. I imagine that you will want to get plenty of rest tonight, because if my assumption is correct, then you will need it." Nitai arched a brow curiously and pondered the Jedi's words as the turbolift came to a halt and S1 wheeled off towards the entrance to the Temple, while Plo Koon led Nitai deeper into the Temple.