Joining Young Justice

Chapter Seventeen: Knighthood

The morning after my mission to Lorta, Master Yoda led me through the swamp through curtains of falling rain. He levitated a fallen tree out of the boggy water and used it as a bridge to cross onto a small island. I followed, careful of my footing on the slimy algae-coated bark, joining him on the solid ground, surveying the terrain. It was fairly flat with a few protruding rocks and thorny vines snaking across the surface, about the size of the kitchen in Wayne Manor; spacious but contained.

Master Yoda drew his green blade and I took up my new lightsaber, spinning it nervously in my fingers. We had sparred before, and each time, I was amazed by Master Yoda's mastery of Form IV. It was unbelievable and completely distracting. Today, I felt the same level of awe, but was also distracted by the questions he threw at me.

"Understand your visions now, do you?" he asked as I sidestepped and fumbled to block a blow from a low angle.

"No. I want to return to Earth, but I'm not sure if that's what the Force is telling me," I panted, counterattacking with a series of quick back and forth strokes, all of which Master Yoda blocked.

"Understand your purpose, do you not?"

"I must serve others," I replied, darting forward before withdrawing quickly. My blow had missed, but I recovered smoothly. "Protect, understand the will of the Force, teach, carry out the legacy of the Jedi Order."

"Learn something at the Temple, did you?" Master Yoda asked, flipping past me. I pulled a Matrix-style dodge, leaning so far back I thought I might fall, but I didn't.

"The Temple gave me pure knowledge." That was what a holocron was, after all. "Knowledge to use in my fight against the Dark Side and evil."

"Understand now, do you?"

The pieces fell together and my purpose was clear. A sense of relief washed over me and for a split second, I was completely one with the Force.

Master Yoda swept my feet out from underneath me with a clever Force blast. I flipped onto my stomach and struggled up to my knees, blade ready to fight off another attack. Before I could rise fully, Yoda was upon me, batting my blades aside. The lightsaber slipped from my hand, flying through the air and landing in the green water, disappearing from sight. Great.

My hand scrambled to draw my blue blade, but Master Yoda stayed it with the Force. He held out his blade, placing it over my right shoulder.

His face was virtually level with mine. I stared into his large eyes, knowing mine were dilated the size of tea saucers as rain sprayed my face and trickled down from my hairline.

"By the right of the Council," Master Yoda said, moving the blade to my left shoulder, "by the will of the Force, Chessa Connal Contal, you may rise."

Jaw hanging, I numbly clambered to my feet, my mind scrambling to process what had just happened, clawing the loose hairs out of my face and eyes.

Master Yoda knighted me.

"Ready, you are. No longer a Padawan Learner, but a Jedi Knight," Master Yoda said.

"Thank you, Master," I breathed, restraining myself from screaming.

I reached out my hand and my blade shot out of the water with a tiny splash, flipping end over end through the air before smacking into my palm. It was going to smell like swamp for a week, but that was a small price to pay after a knighthood.

My mind was still wheeling when we returned to the hut. I was so caught up in what happened that it took a moment to realize that we had company. When that registered, I broke into a run, bursting through the tree line and launching myself at the green-clad figure that stood at the base of the tree that grew above Master Yoda's hut.