Star Wars- A Jedi's Journey One: The Padawan's Struggle

Chapter Three

I sat in my room. Awaiting time. Awaiting the right time to reach me. There was about 1 standard hour, 'till I had to meet up with my clanmates in the hangar to board the ship and commence the gathering. I would be going to Ilum. A sacred planet of The Jedi. THE sacred planet of the Jedi. I was afraid that if I made so much as a scratch on the planet, I would be punished- Harder than the little scolding, Master Drime gave Aaron and I the day before:

While Master Drime, Aaron, and I had been walking back, Master Drime tried to teach us about the Coruscanti underground. "It has changed since the outbreak of the war. Like I said, not a lot of Jedi are left to help secure the streets, and those, who are, are most likely on the very top levels, on their way to an outerplanetary mission or protecting the senate building". Master Drime was walking slightly in front of Aaron and I in order to protect us from the threats coming from our front. He wasn't far from us, positioning himself the best way possible to protect us. "It is dangerous to go even just a few levels down. Not even the top level is considered safe anymore. You shouldn't have gone down here". "Then why were you here, master? Did you have a mission down here?"- Aaron asked. Master Drime sighed. "In truth? No, I heard you were going here and followed you". Aaron looked shocked and a little annoyed, as well. "You didn't trust me to be able to defend us?"- Irritation shone through in his voice. I understood what he meant, but a small part of me was hurt, as he didn't count me in as one of the defenders. Was he hinting at my lack of abilities with a lightsaber? I was well aware of my inabilities already in that case. However, like Aaron, I was also proficient with lightsaber form one. I might not have been exceptionally talented like he was, but I could wield a lightsaber. "No, Aaron. I just wanted to keep you safe", Master Drime was a kind person. Aaron sighed and nodded. The anger subsided. "You both proved capable of defending yourself". I cherished the Master's compliment. I felt a slight blush creep into my cheeks. We walked in silence for a few seconds. I kept my mouth shut, as this seemed to be a Master and apprentice conversation only, or mostly, anyway. I wanted to witness their relationship. Perhaps my and my master's relationship could be like theirs? If I were to get a master, that was. Regardless, their relationship did turn out to be worthy of watch. "We fled, Master. Hardly proves us capable", Aaron's answer surprised me, but I felt, he didn't mean to insult my abilities, but his. He shouldn't insult himself like that. He was better than the words he spoke portrayed him. "A wise warrior knows when to retreat, though capable of pushing back attacking forces. You are skilled with a lightsaber, and that is why you are now my apprentice". Master Drime wanted to reassure his apprentice, I thought. "And though you, Youngling Moon, did not wield a lightsaber, you helped defend as well. I do not know of many Padawans courageous enough to do so, especially considering you aren't apprenticed yet". This time, I felt more than a slight creep of a blush. A master complimenting me? Unheard of. "Th- thank you, Master Drime". There you go, I stuttered out of nervosity yet again. The master smiled at me and nodded.

Flashback over

One standard hour later, and I stood in the Jedi Temple's hangar with my luggage. I stood in the warmest clothes I had, sweating and wondering why I had been stupid enough to put the jacket and winter trousers on this early on. I might not have known whether or not space would be cold, when I put them on that morning, but I knew, the hangar wouldn't be. In front of me was a huge room. Hundreds of Jedi usually used the hangar. It was more silent at this early time of day. Our departure had been scheduled to be at the hangar's least busy time so we avoided being in the way of Jedis hurrying into battle. I could hear a few, low voices to my right and some steps to my left. If I closed my eyes, I could locate the sound further. But I didn't. I simply stood on the platform at the top of the stairs. Overseeing the room, in which several fighters awaited pilots. In the middle stood our ship, an old Paladin-class Corvette. It was a long ship. The relatively thin vessel likely helped the ship avoid being shot at in the era it was invented in. It could easily be navigated through fire, if the need arose. We were supposed to meet in the hangar with warm clothes- they probably meant, we just had to bring it, but I was wearing it. Probably because of our destination, but I couldn't help wondering if the ship would be cold too. Space was, so maybe the ship would be too. The heating in the ship might have been damaged. The ship was very old and dated back to the era of 'The High Republic'. Most inhabitants of The Republic didn't like the term. It referred to a time in which The Republic was at its peak. As if we weren't at our peak anymore. As if, The Republic was worse now. As if, it was degrading. Until a couple of months before, I had never used the term, but I had started to understand why the term was created. We were at war. The Republic wasn't what it used to be. A couple of months ago, some emerging government, The Seperatists, captured Master Kenobi, who was, back then, a Jedi Knight. His Padawan, Anakin Skywalker- whom I had- according to the recordings of my retrieval to the Jedi Temple as a child- apparently met, but didn't remember- had come to rescue him. Skywalker was, according to some prophecy, supposed to bring balance to The Force. He was supposed to be our best weapon against The Sith and all other darksiders. Judging by the results of nearly all his battles he would be a powerful weapon. His skills as a general were highly esteemed by The Jedi Order and was only rivaled by few, most of whom were High Masters- The Masters in The High Council which governed The Jedi Order. I firmly believed, he would always be there to save the Jedi. All based on a rumour. There was only one other Jedi Knight, who succeeded as much as General Skywalker did; General Swift. I had never met him, and couldn't recall even seeing him on anything else than a picture at most. Rumours had it, that he always had a mission. Because of that, many Padawans looked up to him. Some would say, he was the ideal Jedi. Serving The Republic as much, as he could. Upon having trained Skywalker, who some called 'The Chosen One' to knighthood, and having proved his mastery of form three, Master Kenobi had been deemed a Master. He even sat on the council. With the skills of the three and all other Jedi Masters, The Jedi Order would never truly fall. After the first battle of the war, thousands of identical men had arrived at The Jedi Temple. Grandmaster Yoda had explained their appearance to my clan shortly after. The men were Clone Troopers and Commanders, and they were going to serve in the war, giving it a fitting name: 'The Clone Wars'. The Clones were obedient men, bred and raised in a lab on the distant planet of Kamino. We were also told, that all Jedi from the rank of Padawans and higher were technically their superiors in battle. The clones were created for war, but were being commanded by peacekeepers. How ironic was that? I heard steps slowly approaching me, and I turned around to see Obi-Wan Kenobi walking towards me. His clothes were different variants of tan colour, except for his hood, which most jedi bore, if they were of a rank to embark on a mission. The hoods were attached to capes, which in this case reached the floor. Usually, the capes of knights and masters would be long, reaching the floor, while the capes of Padawans and Younglings would most likely reach their knees, such as the one I was wearing. Kenobi's hood was dark brown, making him fit to hide in the lower levels of Coruscant. He hadn't put the hood over his head, as there was no reason yet. He needn't hide amongst Jedi, as he was a well-respected master. He also had no reason to utilize it for warmth, as the hangar was well-tempered. "Master Kenobi", I said while lowering my head- a sign of respect. "Youngling Moon", Kenobi responded. He knew my name? Eh, he probably practised the clan's names before coming. Kind thought. I raised my head again, as generally it was seen as acknowledgement, that he spoke my name, and as a sign of some mutual respect- or at least an invitation to go back to one's task. "Have the others boarded?", Master Kenobi asked as he walked towards the ship. I followed him down the metal stairs. "I'm not entirely sure, Master. I haven't been aboard the ship yet", I replied, as my luggage hit the side of the stairs and made a resounding "Clang" in the room. I could carry the luggage, but I had not thought about the width of the stairs in the hangar, which were significantly thinner than my luggage. Poodoo. I put the luggage on the step below me. Master Kenobi looked back at me. "Are you alright?", he asked. Embarrassing. Very embarrassing. "Do you need some help, Youngling?". He looked concerned. "Oh no, I'm just fine. It seems, I had forgotten how narrow these stairs were, when I packed, Master". There, I said it. I admitted it. My cheeks burned a little hot, as I tried to find a solution. "One rarely remembers", Master Kenobi said with a smirk. I smiled at him. "Have you ever forgotten, Master?", I couldn't help but ask. The atmosphere, Master Kenobi had so effortlessly created, was too light for me to not ask. "Oh no, I'm too lazy, I use the elevator, when carrying luggage", Master Kenobi poked fun at himself. Our smiles grew. Master Kenobi was apparently good at lifting the mood."Oh, there's an elevator?", I asked, grinning, poking fun at my ignorance. I hadn't known of the elevator, and my cheeks grew hotter for just that reason. I had lived in the temple all my life, but I rarely ever went to the hangar. I was still looking for a way to get my luggage to floor level- without the elevator. I had to prove, I wasn't a total dimwit. "Right there", Master Kenobi pointed towards an unmistakable construction. An elevator. I found my solution, and picked the luggage up with The Force, lowering it slowly to the floor. "Eh, elevators are overrated, anyways", I said. Laughter bubbled slowly in my chest. Not now. "Clearly, after you, my lady", Master Kenobi said jokingly, pointing to my luggage at the end of the stairs. And I laughed. Master Kenobi did so too. "Oh no, you go first, gentleman", I played along with his theatrics. "I wouldn't dream of that. Ladies first, Miss Moon", Master Kenobi replied. "If you insist, mister Kenobi", I came incredibly close to ending the theatrics- I almost said Master, and not mister. "I do", Master Kenobi said, gesturing for me to go first. I laughed as I passed him. At the end of the stairs, I picked up my luggage. "Shall we board?", Master Kenobi asked as he walked towards me. "Let us". I knew better than to ignore his suggestion, knowing it could become an order very quickly. As we walked towards the ship, laughing, voices could be heard from within. They were almost shouting. I pressed the button for door-opening, and as the door slided to the side- the whole, round plate of metal slided to the right, which surprised me, as I was used to electric doors, which opened in the middle, with one half going to the left, the other to the right. The voices belonged to Letha and Adam. "I just think, you should consider it...", Adam tried to retaliate, but Letha sounded angry. They were somewhere in the ship, to Master Kenobi and I's right. Master Kenobi steered towards the sound immediately. He opened the door to the room, Letha and Adam stood in. "What's going on here?", Master Kenobi said, while we were still standing right in front of the door. Letha was standing with her arms crossed, towering above Adam, glaring at him. Her eyes were full of rage. "Adam here was accusing me...", Letha begun. Adam interrupted her. "No, please, Letha. I didn't mean it like that. You know, I didn't mean it like that", Adam sounded desperate. "- of not being skilled enough to become a Padawan", Letha finished. My jaw dropped. "Adam...", I was trying to say something, but I had no idea what. My voice died out. "I guess we'll just go our seperate ways in the cave then. See, who gets out first", Letha said. My weird imagination pulled out the images of Letha being stuck and almost impaled by spikes once again. And once again, the image was different from before. "No, Letha- I... I...", Adam's voice broke, and he didn't finish his sentence. A hissing sound let me know, the door behind me had opened again. I turned around to see a small, green figure. I bowed my head. "Grandmaster Yoda", I said, taking a step to the side to let him pass. "Youngling Moon", he spoke. Today was apparently the day for all masters to know my name. On the other hand, the grandmaster had taught my clan on several occasions and had probably just learned my name during one of those lessons. Adam and Letha shut their mouthes simultaneously. "Is everyone here?", asked Master Kenobi. "No, we're missing June, she's always la-", Letha replied. As if on cue, the door behind me opened again. "June is right here". That was June. "Ah, finally...", Kenobi said. He couldn't be losing his patience already. Must be a joke. I smiled, trying to pretend, the joke didn't fall flat. Grandmaster Yoda pointed towards a row of seats, which were built into the metal wall of the ship. "Ready ourselves for the jump to hyperspace, we must", Grandmaster Yoda said. We all headed towards a seat. I ended up sitting in the middle of Master Kenobi and Letha. The seats were mildly uncomfortable, as the cushons were old and damaged. We still had to sit down. "Pilot, ready to go, we are", Yoda spoke into a communicator, which was attached to his wrist like the weird clocks, some considered fashionable to wear. Yoda and Master Kenobi both went to fasten some seatbelts, which were attached to the wall. My clanmates reached slowly for their seatbelts. A second later, I mimicked their actions. I blushed slightly over being the latest to fasten my seatbelt. "Going into hyperspace feels like you're running headfirst into a wall", Master Kenobi said to me, as the hangar started moving around us. No. The hangar wasn't moving. We were. I could barely peer through a window diagonally in front of me, to the right. I gasped, as excitement bubbled through me. The many lights of Coruscant were slowly dissappearing beneath us. I wanted to walk to the window. I could witness my homeplanet shrinking into a spot on our galactic map, but as my hand touched the unbuckling button for the seatbelt, Master Kenobi stopped me; "You may not want to do that just yet, we will be going into hyperspace in a few seconds. Just wait- once the rumbling in the ship has stopped, hyperspace will definitely be something to behold". My hand fell into my lap. My curiosity had peaked, just like if I had been an appicoo. I shook my head, as a picture of an actual appicoo formed in my mind. A man was holding the creature. I couldn't see his facial features, nor hair color. A woman stood beside him, and behind her were two kids. I couldn't see their facial features either. Only their heights. Their clothes didn't appear clearly. I didn't know what their background would be like, but I knew where it was. Malastare. So I imagined a dry and dark planet, filled partially with rocky landscape, partially full of forest. They could be standing in dresses and tuxedos, or in farmer's clothes. I couldn't tell. "Youngling Moon?", asked Master Kenobi, sending me a brief, concerned look. "I'm sorry", I said. "As I was saying, we are about to enter hyperspace. Prepare yourself". I obeyed, leaning back in the chair, thinking the armrests would keep me sitting in an upright position, when I 'ran into a wall headfirst'. "Entering hyperspace in 3...", Master Kenobi started counting down. I looked out the window to find the beautiful planet of Coruscant lighting itself up, while we passed one of the planet's four moons. This one looked to be the moon Centax 2. The moon looked like a big, boring rock. To its right, Coruscant shone brightly like a star, though I knew it wasn't one. "2", Master Kenobi counted. The lights on Coruscant formed circles. One inside another, bigger circle. Those would be the round, wider roads, which required lighting all the way to the lowest level. "1". Centax 2 blocked my view of Coruscant, as the ship slowed to a stop. I could feel the engines spark to life. They started to roar, making any conversation in the ship impossible. Everyone went silent for a second. Then the ship flew fast. Faster than I had imagined. I was pushed sideways, as the moon disappeared out of sight. Then, my body hit the wall, Kenobi referred to earlier. I could feel The Force of the air pushing against me, as the outside became bent. My head hurt slightly, and I heard some noise, which was probably fictional. I fought to stay upright in the seat, but as we sped further, I had to give up. I quite literally hit something, as I stopped fighting, and my head collided with my seat. I could feel my ears pop. Ow. The light outside looked weird, bending. It mixed with the darkness, making lines which followed the direction we were headed. It looked beautiful, I thought. My heartbeat filled my head, pumping adrenaline. Woohoooo! The pressure I had felt, when entering hyperspace was no longer there. But we were still in hyperspace. How?, "How?", I only realized, I had said it, when master Kenobi looked in my direction. He had unfastened his seatbelt and was standing up, seemingly with no trouble at all. "Hyperspace is a weird thing. An alternate dimension. To enter it, one must travel at the speed of light. When in hyperspace, one is still traveling at the speed of light, but doesn't feel the pressure. As if, we are light particles ourselves...", from that point on, Master Kenobi mostly mumbled, and I couldn't hear him. Hyperspace was a wonder. How did people discover it? "A wonder, it is, Obi-Wan'', Grandmaster Yoda said. "Truly". I was out of breath. Maybe I could get closer to the window. "May I?", I pointed towards the window. My other hand was at the unbuckling button. I was expecting a go-ahead, as the whole 'running headfirst into a wall'-thing was over. Grandmaster Yoda's cackling laugh filled the room. "Go ahead", Master Kenobi said. I sprung from my seat and pressed my nose to the window. The lines of light pushed back those of darkness, as the darkness fought back and retook its position. "How does this even...", I mumbled, though I had an idea how it "even". I was traveling at lightspeed. Normally, when seeing light, it was too fast for us to register its traveling through air. Now, we were traveling at the same speed, possibly allowing us to watch the same particle of light, if we looked at the same line or streak of light. That was, at least, the explanation Master Quare had given the lion clan a small lecture on hyperspace. Master Quare had an obsession with speaking about physics. She had an amazing understanding of the subject. Master Quare was our main teacher. Other Jedi Masters had visited our classroom frequently, such as Grandmaster Yoda, but never as often as she did. Jedi Master Sholi Quare was definitely a sight to behold, when she taught us. She was really into the teachings she wanted to pass on, and as a result, she would sometimes put on little displays. I had witnessed her switch on her green lightsaber countless times. It was beautiful and awe inspiring every time she did it. Hopefully, I would soon be able to do the very same thing. The feeling of awe still zinged through my body, when I retook my seat beside master Kenobi.