The Jedi Temple, or what was left of it, was an enormous building towering over the three of us.
"Here we are, Zan-Deer." Rakine Force pushed the grand doors open. "The Jedi Temple." He begins walking into the abandoned temple as we follow.
"I can't believe that the Jedi were just killed and now this building is all that's left of their legacy and order." Sad emotions began filling up her mind. Rooda stared at the ceiling, all its new cracks and holes, some light shining through to the floor. All the windows had large shades over them, blocking out all the light and preserving the darkness inside.
"This is only the entrance and main hall," Rakine kept walking deeper into the Jedi Temple. "What we need is right here." He stopped at a large metal door in the wall at the end of the main hall. When he pushed a small button the door opened into a small chamber.
"Get in," he looked at us, motioning us to enter. When we stepped in, the door closed behind us, Rakine pressed a button and suddenly we felt the world pull away from our feet.
"What is this?" Rooda asked Rakine.
"It's just an elevator," he smirked. "It's not going to hurt us. Now this machine travels up and down, through many vertical tunnels in the Jedi Temple. You just push the button of the floor you want to reach, and whoosh, you're off." He chuckles and the elevator continues to ascend up through the Jedi Temple. Suddenly the elevator stopped and we all felt a slight jerk.
"Now what?" Rooda looked at the ceiling.
"This isn't the training floor." Rakine looked at a small diagram of the Jedi Temple and groans. "It's malfunctioned." He pulled out his lightsaber and started slicing through the door. The metal door breaks open and Rakine forces himself out of the elevator and he catches himself on his two hands before landing on the ground.
Rooda stepped out of the elevator next, and with the raise of an ear, she looks up and sees a cable holding the elevator snap.
"Eyt! The elevator. Hurry!" She pointed at the top of the elevator and I hear the elevator shaft groan as the elevator jerks down.
I jumped out of the elevator, landing on the floor, and when I look behind me, the last cable snaps and the elevator drops down to the first floor with a loud thud. Rooda and I leaned into the shaft and look up at the broken cables. They were chewed by some larger form of ratlike creatures. The rat creatures scurry up the cables when Rakine came to investigate the cables.
"Rats." Rakine shook his head. "Of all disgusting little creatures, it had to be rats." He walked down the dark hall and found a small switch on the wall. With a simple push on the switch, all the lights in the area flickered on.
"Good thing this place still has some power." I walked down the hall to Rakine, Rooda following behind me.
"Now how do we get to the top?" Rooda opened a door and found a stairway, I came over and looked up and it seemed to go on forever. Maybe it reaches the top.
"Hey, I think we found the way up." I looked at Rakine, who only shook his head.
"That'll take too long. I'll figure something out." He started scratching his head and looked back at the cable. He walked to the shaft and closed his eyes, to start focusing on the Force. Rooda and I felt the floor start shaking and, when I look back at Rakine, he seems to be pulling the elevator back up the shaft with the Force. I watch in amazement as the cable starts to fix itself to the elevator. With one finger, he beckons us to the shaft.
"How strong are you, exactly?" Rooda looked at the elevator.
"Just grab the cable when I let go of the Force." He points at the cable. I know we have to act quick now, and what Rakine is up to. When he lets go of the Force, the elevator will drop down, but the cable will swing us up to the top.
"Eyt, hurry." Rooda motions me to hurry to the shaft.
"Grab the cable, now." Rakine let go of the Force, thus letting go of the elevator. We all quickly grab the cable and are all flung straight up the elevator shaft as the weight of the elevator drops back down to the first floor. I feel the force of the air around me, pushing me down, but when we reach the top of the shaft and the cable stops, Rakine immediately pulls out his lightsaber to cut through a barred door, blocking the elevator shaft. When he got up on the top floor, he helped pull me and Rooda up.
"This is the training floor?"
"No. We need to walk over there. It's just down this hall, down the large stairway and at the end of the hall at the bottom. I know this building inside and out." He walks down the steps and we follow him down. When we reached the bottom of the stairway he pointed down a hall and started walking. Rooda and I looked around in awe.
"How come up here is still intact?" Rooda asked Rakine.
"Most of the Jedi weren't up here during Order 66. The fighting mostly happened at the bottom. Where everything was all broken and dark."
"How did you survive Order 66?" I asked Rakine.
"I was only a young Padawan at the time. When I figured out about Order 66, me and my friend quickly escaped and took a ship. We got out of here as quickly as possible. Escaped to a moon in the Yavin system."
When we reached the training area at the end of the hall, it was much brighter than the last rooms. The shades were all up, allowing the sunlight to peek in through all the windows. It looked like everything was almost intact. In only one room, there was a large shattered window, leaving great fields of broken glass across the floor. The massive training area was just empty.
"There are many training rooms up here. Some for Force users, some for lightsaber combat, but all are necessary to becoming a Jedi. I suggest we start your training." Rakine opened a door to a room and walked to a little metal ball. He activated it and it began floating in the air.
"What is that?" Rooda looked carefully at the ball.
"This little droid will float around and shoot occasional little lasers. The goal of this is to teach how to either deflect blaster lasers, to feel the Force as you're blindfolded. The Force will help you to sense your enemies when your sight gives out. Want to give it a try, Eyt?" Rakine handed me a blindfold. "Put that around your eyes until you can't see. Then you will be put to the test."
I took the blindfold in my hands and watched as Rakine backed away and the droid focused on me. I blinded myself with the blindfold and tried to use Rakine's advice to use the Force to show me where the droid was floating. Suddenly a warning came to me. I drew my darksaber and readied it as the droid shot a beam. Even with the blindfold on, the Force lets me see. I blocked the beam and hear the droid start floating somewhere else. It tries to turn around me, hoping I won't find it. But I counter and block its next beams with the blade of my darksaber. I hear applauding and I reach for the blindfold.
"Well done," Rakine stopped clapping and I looked carefully at him, his eyes turning a yellow and red color. "But are you ready for-" he lifts up a hand, facing toward me, his eyes changing to a yellow and red color, "-this?" Suddenly bolts of lightning shoot out at me and throw me into the wall behind me.
I am seized by tremendous pain as the lightning's electrical surges consume me. I open my eyes and see Rooda step in between me and the lightning, with her lightspear's blade, she interferes with Rakine's attack.
"Stop!" I hear her yell as the lightning now absorbs into her blade, saving me from Rakine's lightning power. Rakine immediately stops and sinks to his knees, panting, as if trying to catch his breath.
"I- I- I'm sorry, I didn't know what- what happened." He looked up at Rooda as he stood back up.
"You were hurting him, Rakine." She walked towards me, trying to help get me back on my hoofed feet. I only slightly groan and feel the singe marks on my back.
My body would have had new burnt black marks if it weren't for my traditional warrior dye, only covering my back, forearms, lower legs, and my hips. The black ink is made from the venom of a ticking desert spider back on Zant. It was an old part of Zant's Warrior tradition. Rooda has the same black dye on her forearms, lower legs, and top of tail. The rest of our bodies left not dyed, with our naturally brown, tan fur.
"That wasn't-" he sighs. "I'm sorry. This is going to make no sense." He tries calming down, breathing slowly, and talking gently so we could hear him. "Remember I'm on the Grey Side, with knowledge of both Jedi and Sith Force abilities. I was only doing what I was taught. When I was trained in the Sith arts, my master was a cruel and evil man. He taught me by using that Force lightning against me, making me figure it out myself how to learn the Force. I was only taught through hate and aggression. I am not a Sith, but my knowledge of the Dark Side is strong itself. If ever you see my eyes change to a yellow and red color, be careful, because my Dark Side is mentally unstable." He chuckles weakly. "Too many shocks to the head I guess. I'm sorry I brought this upon you two."
"It's nothing, really." I try standing up and looking at Rakine. "If you want to train me, then do so and train me however you want." I kneeled down on my knees to give respect to him, for his skill in the Force is more superior. "I pledge myself to your teachings, Rakine."
"Your dedication to learning the Force is incredible. You really wish to save your home village, don't you?" Rakine looked down at me respectfully.
"Yes. It is my goal to serve them. And I may learn any new ways of combat or Force to protect them."
"Then I will teach you how to be knowledgeable of the Force." He smirked slightly, looking away, "But there is one condition. It is both Jedi and Sith tradition for you, the student, to address me as," He looked back down at me, "your master."
"Wait, master?" Rooda asked him.
"Yes. It is just a way of tradition in the Jedi and Sith arts." Rakine shrugs. "It's just how it is. These things are just to be followed. Of all creatures I'd expect you to understand how traditions work."
I nodded, "It's alright if you wish to teach me, master Rakine. "Any tradition should be respected and followed, from what I learned back on Zant." I looked at Rooda, then to Rakine, "Anything that we learn becomes a part of us."
"Eyt," Rooda looked at me, with a slight worry, "Be careful. Try not to get electrocuted." She looked at Rakine, "Maybe you should give him a small shock if ever a mistake is made?" She looks back at me and I nod.
"Good idea." I looked at Rakine, "What do you think master? You think it will help?"
Rakine, giving us both confused and worried expressions, only shrugged.
"Alright, if you wish. If you're really willing to take the pain. A small mistake, a small shock. But be careful, since I have the knowledge of the Dark Side, like the Sith. My eyes will change occasionally, and I turn out to be more aggressive."
"I understand, master." I stood up in front of him and Rooda. "So the training, when do we start?"
"Whenever you're ready, my apprentice." Rakine stood before me and when I turn to Rooda, she backs up to the wall as I stand in the center of the training room.