Star Wars: Saviors of the Broken

Chapter I

"There is no emotion, there is peace.

There is no ignorance, there is knowledge.

There is no passion, there is serenity.

There is no chaos, there is harmony.

There is no death, there is the Force."

- The Jedi Code, from Collected Wisdom of the Jedi Masters

Patrick Stump stepped through the doors of the Jedi Temple, his lightsaber at the ready. He looked around, gazing at the grand columns and the wide hallways, but he wasn't here to admire the architecture. The Force was strong here, running through the building, through his fellow Jedi, through every living thing in the whole galaxy. Patrick let it guide him as he entered the Main Hall.

His assignment was simple. He was supposed to help the Younglings with defensive tactics in lightsaber combat. Normally, this would have been a task for Patrick's master, but with the Clone Wars in full swing, Master Mundi had sent his apprentice instead.

Patrick took a deep breath as he opened the door to the Training Rooms. He knew he wasn't prepared for this: it had only been a few years since he'd been a Youngling himself. He'd learned a lot fighting alongside Master Mundi, but surely, he wasn't ready to teach yet.

As soon as he opened the door, a tiny girl ran up to him. "Master Stump?" she said.

Patrick laughed. "You don't have to call me that," he said. "I'm still a Padawan."

"Master Stump, my finger hurts," the girl said.

Patrick bent down and inspected the girl's finger. There didn't appear to be anything wrong, but he said, "I'm going to go get you a bandage, but it's going to be okay. Just give me one second, and I'll be back."

"You promise?"

"I promise," Patrick said. He got up and headed upstairs to find a bandage for the girl, but as he ascended the staircase, he ran into Pete Wentz.

"What are you doing here?" Patrick asked Pete as he looked him over. He'd met Pete a few times before - they'd been in the same Youngling clan once or twice - but they'd gone their separate ways after the Initiate Trials. Patrick remembered him as an unruly, obnoxious kid who couldn't go to class without looking like a raccoon. It was a small miracle that Pete was still on track to become a Jedi Knight. Of course, he'd changed quite a bit in the time since they'd last seen each other. Back then, he was an awkward, acne-ridden thirteen year old, but he'd since grown into a shockingly handsome young man.

"I'm looking for a book," Pete said. "My master wants a copy of Collected Wisdom of the Jedi Masters, and she sent me to find it in the Ancient Texts Library. What are you doing here? I feel like I haven't seen you in forever."

"Teaching Younglings," Patrick said in a small, nervous voice. He tried to fight back the butterflies in his stomach, knowing that he couldn't let Pete make him feel this way, but it was no use.

"Wow, they're letting you do that?"

"Master Mundi had to be on Mygeeto."

"That's still really neat." Patrick was about to walk away when Pete asked, "Hey Patrick, do you happen to know where the Ancient Texts Library is? I haven't been in the temple in a while."

"It's upstairs," Patrick said. "I'll...I'll take you there."

Patrick was sure that it would be a quick detour. It couldn't take that long to find a book, and then he could return to the Training Rooms. Besides, he'd get to spend a little bit more time with Pete.