Padawan's Choice: The Cylis Chronicles

The Temple, At last

           Kalumb was very excited when Rig announced that they were incoming on Coruscant. Finally, he would be off the ship! But, happy as he was, he also felt a small twinge of sadness at the thought of leaving the pilot, who had become quite the friend during his small adventure. He quickly packed his stuff as they slowed from hyperspace, then walked to the cockpit to see what he could.

    His amazement and excitement was almost startling as he stared at the silvery planet in front of them, littered with sparkling, jewel like lights all across it's surface. "Wow." Was all he could muster after a moment. Rig chuckled. "Yep, This is Coruscant, the heart and capital of the galaxy." He said.

    "Really?" Kalumb asked. "It doesn't look big enough to be the heart of the galaxy." Rig merely shook his head and turned the ship as they entered the atmosphere. They were briefly blinded, only briefly, by thin clouds. This passed quickly, however, and soon Kalumb could see the great cities of that planet.

   He gasped, as it was even greater in magnificence up close than in space. He absentmindedly groped his pack, his finger nails digging deep into it's tattered fabric. Coruscant was so big, so..... modern. Where were the great forests? The mountains? There wasn't even enough room for many predatory creators. He backed up a little, bumping into one of the metal walls.

     "You okay?" Rig asked, glancing over his shoulder. Kalumb nodded, even though he knew Rig wouldn't see it. He focused on his breathing for a minute, feeling nervous and, very suddenly, homesick. "Yeah." He answered quietly after a few moments. The ship swerved gently, flying towards a massive block-shaped building that Kalumb, honestly, had pictured factories looking like, from what he had heard about them in books.

    "That's pretty... huge." He said slowly. Rig nodded. "That's the jedi for you. Everything has to be a big deal with them." He grumbled. Kalumb was surprised. "Do you... not like the jedi, or something?" He asked gently.

   Rig looked at him sharply, but eventually sighed and shook his head. "No, it's not that. I don't have a problem with them. It's just that.... I've never had good run ins with them. But," He added, turning to look at Kalumb as the ship made a steady descent toward the temple's docking bay. "You should never judge one persons mistake and assume they're all alike. Remember that, Chatter-box. Good advice from a humble Pilot. Best tip you'll get from anyone." He joked.

    Kalumb rolled his eyes, but playfully agreed to remember. The old freighter lurched as it came to a slow halt, hovering over the spot Rig planned to land on. Then, very very slowly, it landed, though with a loud thump. Everything was still for a moment, except the engine, which still purred.

    "Well, another happy landing, accomplished by Captian Pilot Rig Stirnford." Kalumb joked. Rig smirked, playfully glaring at him. "No good kid." He muttered, pressing the button for the ramp to open. "Now, get off my ship. "

   Kalumb breathed in the air from the small craft, turning in a wide circle. "You know, I'm gonna miss this old trap." He said, running his hand along one of the seats. "Old trap?" Rig spat out in pretend anger. "How dare ya! This here is the best G9 Rigger-class light freighter you'll ever get to have the privilege of riding in."

   This only made Kalumb laugh, as he was sure there were plenty more G9 Rigger-class light freighters that were way better. Rig huffed. "Well, see if I ever take you for a ride again. Now hurry along, kid, I got places to be and people to see." By this time, Kalumb was already standing on the top of the ramp looking out at the temple.

    He self consciously pulled his pack on tighter before turning back inside the ship. Digging into his pocket, he withdrew a handful of credits, which he threw towards the pilot. It was his payment for carrying him all the way from Tython. "See ya, Rig! Enjoy the cash, and Happy landings!" He said cheerily, as he often did when he was nervous.

     Rig caught the credits, then grumbled something before yelling out at him, "Happy landings my-" Kalumb laughed and stepped down the ramp before he let him finish. He saw, as he approached, three figures standing together only a few yards from him. Two of them were humans, like him, except adults, and clothed in robes and with lightsabers on their belts. The other was smaller, and a female.

     She wore no robe, showing off her bare arms, which were a reddish brown color. On her head were lekku, which trailed down onto her shoulders. Higher still were two nubby montrals, pointing out from atop her head tails.

'She must be a Togruta', He thought slowly. He had never seen one. Only heard descriptions.

    Kalumb suddenly noticed he had been staring awkwardly at her for what seemed too long for him ( which couldn't have been more than a few seconds glance). He smiled at them, just knowing he looked positively sick with nerves, so he tried to make his eyes look a little happy. 

     For a second, no one spoke, and Kalumb began to feel that perhaps he wasn't in the right spot for the temple. But one of the humans smiled at him, gently and calm, and spoke with a warm tone. "Hello there."

   He knew at once that this was his new master.

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      Obi-wan escorted his new padawan through the temple. As they walked, he told him about the all the areas in the temple, the rooms, the training area, the library, and the council room, all while asking him questions about himself. Anakin and Ahsoka trailed behind, curious, but not wanting to interrupt. As they arrived at the door to his new room, Obi-wan turned to him.

    "And what is your name, young one?" He asked. His padawan looked up at him with eyes the color of electric blue. "Kalumb Cylis, sir." He answered, to the point, as he had done with all the other questions. Obi-wan smiled gently. "Later, I will take you on a more formal tour of the temple." He said, "but for now, you should unpack and get acquainted with your new surroundings." He went on, eyeing his used pack.

    Kalumb stepped forward and opened the door. Inside was a simple, mostly barren room, similar to his dorm on Tython. He took his pack off, letting it slip gently to the floor, and took in the whole thing. To his right was a simple bed, and a large window, from which he could see the city. On the other side was a table and a trunk. That was it. It was about ten by eight feet wide, just big enough to walk around without tripping over anything.

    "I hope this is adequate, Kalumb. I know it's not very big, but each dormitory is designed based on the padawan's species, not preference." Obi-wan said. Kalumb turned around quickly, a large smile on his face. "Oh yes, Master! This is perfect, feels just like home." He replied, walking over to him. Obi-wan chuckled. "I'm glad. I suppose I'll leave you now." He said, turning to go.

     The door closed, leaving Kalumb alone in the empty room. He sighed, taking his pack off the floorr and gently putting it on the bed. He reached inside and pulled out his belongings. A book about identifying dangerous creatures, a single change of belts, and at the very bottom, an old brown robe. He picked it up, taking care to be extra gently with it, for wrapped up were the few things in the world he cared most about.

    Kalumb stroked the fabric, remembering how jedi weren't supposed to have attachments. But this was different. He needed these. Unwrapping the content, he extracted a small wooden box with intricate carvings all over it. He stared at it a moment, thinking, before wrapping it back up in the robe and stuffing it as far back under his new bed as he could.

                      Now, maybe he could start thinking of this place as home.