Kel Dor and the Kaleesh

Return

The speeder arrived at the Jedi temple and a young woman climbed out. Emi Takori was her name and behind her was her master Luminara Unduli. But now it was safe to say that she was her former master. Emi had taken the Trials of Knighthood and Luminara had accompanied her on a diplomatic mission to Alderaan a few weeks ago. The mission was a success, but Emi had grown tired of missions involving political conflict.

I can't wait to see some real action, now that I'll officially be a Jedi Knight after today, she thought. Emi had been known by the Council for loving to get her hands dirty, even if it meant bending a few rules; however, she never broke them. Luminara was always so "by the book" when it came to teaching her the Jedi way, and Emi often had a difficult time learning from her. Over the past ten years, Emi had learned to follow the rules, but to some extent, some things she still questioned like forming relationships. Those were certainly questionable. But as she got older, she learned to do things right, and hoped now that it was time for student and teacher to part ways, she would be able to do things her way, as long as it didn't mean going too over the top against the rules.

Emi was medium height for her age, fair-skinned, with auburn hair with bangs, hazel eyes, and she wore a black knee-length turtle neck dress with her lightsaber clipped onto a metal belt, around her neck was an aluminum pendant of the Jedi Order logo.

"I feel like I haven't been back here in years," Emi said, looking up at the Jedi temple.

It was a large box for a building, with five towers sticking out of it, pointing to the sky. The central tower was the tallest, and it looked like any speeder could collide with it very easily. Emi didn't like the idea of the temple, it was close to isolation. Jedi would spend all their time there if not on an assignment, they would even sleep there. Cut out from the rest of the world, and that was not something she wanted.

Emi followed Luminara into the temple; the halls were surrounded by pillars, and the floor was carpeted in blue with red squares. To Emi, she thought of it like a palace when she was a little girl and often told Master Yoda that when she first met him.

"The Council requested they go over the mission to Alderaan before your knighting ceremony," Luminara asked her former apprentice.

"Great, they want to talk to me about that?" Emi asked, irritated

"Emi I know you do not like coming before the council on this matter, but I encourage you to take what they say to your heart and heed it. Your knighting on the other hand, it is likely it will happen tonight. Being a Jedi Knight involves more responsibilities than being a Padawan. You have come so far already, and I never thought you would pass the trials. I had many doubts in you when you were young, because I know how you are. There have been times when I was frustrated with you, but you've come a long way as I said, and I am very proud of you. I am going to miss helping you all the time, but eventually, a teacher has to let their student go."

Emi nodded in agreement. Luminara was right, it was time to turn the page in her life, which was eventually something everyone had to go through.

"You may come and see me afterwards, I will be around until dusk when it is time for you to go be knighted." Luminara continued as they walked down the hall.

Emi was too spaced out to answer as they walked, and passed one of the statues of ancient Jedi. She wondered if Master Yoda had ever trained them. He was nearly nine hundred years old, or however old he was.

"Are you listening?" Luminara asked annoyingly,

"Yes Master,"

She hated it when Luminara spoke to her like that, but it had become less frequent than the times when she was still a child. She kept walking and hoped they would be near the tower to the council chambers soon. The sooner this was over with, the sooner she could relax. Emi had always hated having to come before the council, most of them were either silent or lecturing her. No one was ever on her side from what she could remember, especially since the Felucia droid factory incident where she got separated from her master and engaged General Grievous alone.

The council saw it as a dangerous move, but Emi saw it as an act of bravery. She impressed the General, and since then whenever he was in the area, she always ran into him when with other Jedi, her master, or even alone. Wherever she was in the galaxy, he was there, but she loved every moment of it. It was exciting to her to have an enemy like that and live to tell the tale for now.

Just as the two came around a corner nearing the elevator to the central tower, Emi spotted someone she recognized.

"Master Fisto!" She cried and ran towards him.

Kit Fisto, a Nautolan Jedi Master, green-faced with wide black eyes and tons of tentacles on his head smiled when he saw her. She was quick to reach him and threw her arms around him.

"It is good to see you again Emi," He said, hugging her back.

The two of them had been good friends ever since they were given an assignment together. Kit was close to being Emi's male twin: a few years older than her, cheerful, a little stubborn, and often looking for a way to make an assignment more exciting.

Luminara rolled her eyes, as she had never really approved of Emi and Kit doing anything together. All they do is get into trouble, she thought.

"It is good to see you too, I'm going to be knighted!" Emi told him,

"So I have heard, you deserve it,"

"The trials....they can come up with some better way to test me. That was easier than I thought,"

"You passed, that's what really matters." Kit reminded her,

Emi felt like herself around him, and that was something rare to find in such a place as the temple.

"Master Fisto, we must be on our way," Luminara insisted,

Kit Fisto was not one to argue, but he was one to think Emi deserved some chatter time.

"Patience Unduli, the council said she can come anytime. There is no concern of being late,"

Emi's fears of going before the council seemed to have washed away when she spoke with Kit.

"Actually I'm not as nervous as I thought anymore, it's okay, we can catch up later. I want to get this started now," She said.

He chuckled, "Well, it seems I have given you courage again, go on then!"

The elevator to the council chambers stood before her, and her heart raced. Luminara and Kit looked at her with a sign of good luck. She smiled at them, trying to hide her concerns as she promised Kit she would. Then she stepped into the elevator, but as soon as the doors closed, her concerns began to show on her face once again.