SW: Jedi Apprentice

[MagSul]

Having taken some time to get started reading @@TwinHits' post, I've decided to share something that I've written, too. Before you read, I ask you to consider that this writing is a heavily work-in-progress piece of work. Any thoughts and critique you would be willing to share would greatly appreciated. If you decide to look at grammar or spelling, please bear in mind that certain words are different between US and UK English (Colour/Color, Customise/Customize etc.) I'm not against expanding the following story, so again, let me know what you think and we'll see if you think it's worth it.

Enjoy!

 

 

Jedi Apprentice

 

 

He was finding it difficult to march with his usual sense of confidence. The expansive halls of the Jedi Temple, though aesthetically pleasing, did nothing to quell the sense of unease which Alec now felt clenching at his insides. The guilt was there, it had been his fault and there was no sense in denying that. But what consequences would the Jedi Council have in store for him this time?

His teachings had taught him to be better than this, he knew. To stand and face discipline willingly would surely demonstrate his humility and maturity to the Council. He knew that his Master would be sympathetic, but would it be enough to appease the others?

The comlink securely fastened to his wrist let off an audible chime and sweat soon began to seep across the surface of Alec’s skin; the Jedi Council had made their decision. It was time to face judgement. Alec swallowed the lump in his throat before crossing the threshold, passing through the executive doors along the way, and finally stepping into the Council chambers.

“Do you understand why you have been called here today, Padawan Kari?” The distinctly human voice had originated from the Jedi Master sat directly before him; she now appeared waiting attentively for an answer, occupying one of twelve prestigious seats which encircled the room.

Alec remained hesitant to speak; he feared that if he dared open his mouth, he may just be sick on the Council floor. The members of the Council themselves did not appear entirely oblivious to this fact, either. The twi’lek, Master Zhan, was the next to deliver: “Your actions were thoughtless.”

Alec’s gaze remained firmly locked upon the ground. A moment passed in silence.

“A defence, do you not wish present for yourself, Padawan?” Master Yoda’s head had tilted inquisitively to one side. Alec choked, his words concealed by the dryness in his throat.

“It was an accident, Master.” Despite the reputation he carried, of being by far the strictest of Jedi Masters to roam the halls of Coruscant, Alec had always envisioned this elderly alien to be one of the more sympathetic teachers housed within the temple. Internally, he prayed hard that this was the case.

“Master Yoda founded the very principle which you chose to ignore, Padawan.” Alec offered a single nod to the stern response; of course Master Yoda wasn’t going to be sympathetic. He berated himself, shuffling awkwardly where he stood.

“A grave crime you have committed, Alec. Consequences there must be.” Turning on the back of his heel, Alec again faced the aging Jedi Master. Was his training to come to an end, here and now in this very moment?

“Your Lightsaber, it shall be turned in to us, now.”

A moment’s hesitation intervened before Alec could bring himself draw out his hilt. Gazing at it quickly, he turned it over between his fingers before he could hand it over. His reluctance had consumed his frame for no longer than an instant, though whilst stood where he was, he doubted that it would go unnoticed.

“What will become of it?” He couldn't help inquiring. Alec’s Lightsaber had been a constant companion at his side since the moment it had been completed. It had taken no miniscule amount of effort on his part to piece it together, either.

“It shall be incinerated,” spoke the councillor to his right, apathy seeping his tone.

He knew it, his career as a Padawan Learner was coming to an end, and not in the way he had been envisioning in the recent months. Alec prayed for salvation within one of the Service Corps, where all students failing their training were commonly salvaged before being put to use.

“Am I to be expelled, Master?” Again, Alec had spun gently on the balls of his feet and faced Master Yoda. He could not place what it may have been, what it ever was, but there had always been something about this Master’s small, green features which had imbued Alec with both a sense of hope and of aspiration. It was a friendly face, by nature.

Master Yoda appeared hesitant, considering. Was a final decision yet to be made? Sweat began drenching the hair which was now sticking itself to Alec’s forehead. What more could he still offer in his defence? Little, he knew it. He had been guilty, despite that his crime had been unintentional.

The remaining members of the Jedi Council held no look of sympathy in their features. Alec was condemned without hope, it was the only conclusion he would permit himself to consider.

“Expelled, you are not,” began Master Yoda, “retain your place within the Order you shall, and with Master Siri you shall remain.” Alec momentarily glanced about the room, expecting an immediate objection; the remaining members of the Council held expressions of indifference. He was truly to remain with the Order, still? Alec’s heart skipped a beat as he offered an unsteadily low bow at the waist.

“Thank you, my Masters.” The door to his right silently slid apart and Alec took his leave, drawing in a huge sigh as he wiped his saturated features against the sleeve of his shirt. From his appearance, it would have been anyone’s first guess that he had been the unfortunate victim of one of Master Vaughn’s endurance trials. Given the circumstances, Alec silently wished that had been the case.

When the doors to the lift parted at the end of the hall, Alec stumbled over the threshold, allowing himself to sink against the back wall. It had been close, he knew it, and pardoned by the Council or not, he had still one final confrontation to see to.

The lift gradually decelerated before coming to a soft stop at the peak of the ziggurat. Alec delayed himself a moment for a calming breath before stepping out into the hall. A quick glance in every direction left him momentarily perplexed. Alec frowned deeply before relaxing his posture. He had expected his Master to be waiting for him, yet she was nowhere in sight. He detached the communicator from his wrist and held it out with his palm, then ran his thumb up along the side of the device, catching a switch before raising the comlink to meet his lips.

“Master..?” No response followed; Alec permitted a moment to pass in silence. As he did so, he was forced to ignore the repeated glances seeped with bewilderment and disapproval passed on by the dozens of students following their daily routine. “Master..? It’s… It’s Alec; I’ve been pardoned and await your instruction.” He shook his head from side to side. Was it possible that his own Master did not agree with the Council’s decision? Did she, like Alec himself, believe that he ought to have been exiled from the Order entirely for his actions? He banished the thought from his conscience, refusing himself to indulge the notion further. Although, he could not help but wonder: was his Master to disagree with the Council’s decision, would that leave him indefinitely without a tutor? This thought seemed far more difficult to supress. Who would be willing to train him now after this?

A whole hour passed before Alec’s concerns showed their first signs of appearing unfounded. Below the vast expanse of the Jedi Archives, he had found himself striding back and forth throughout the central hallway of the accommodation sector. He knew that his Master would have advised him to meditate in the confines of his dormitory, if not within the specialised meditation chambers of the temple ziggurat. But Alec’s anxiety had been beginning to take its toll, and he had never truly found any peace perching on cushions. He paused to contemplate why this might have been, but was swiftly interrupted by a passing figure in the hallway.

“Alec..?” He knew that voice, almost better than he knew his own, he thought briefly. It was the voice of his teacher, the one who had instructed him, personally, for the last eleven years of his life. Instinctively, Alec turned on his heel and peered up towards the figure, offering a humble bow at the waist alongside a hefty, relieving sigh.

“Master! I was-”

“You are to be placed in the care of Master Phei, Alec.”

“Who-W… Why?” Alec unthinkingly thought aloud. Was this the Council’s decision, or her own? “But, when I was… Master Yoda-”

“Would undoubtedly have told you that you would remain in my charge, I know.” Alec was finding it impossible to read her expression. Surely she had not agreed to this?

“Master, I-”

“Do not protest. I have nothing more to say, he expects to meet with you in the archives, no later than sunrise tomorrow morning. I suggest you take this time to reflect upon your actions.”

The previous night had dragged on like no other that had come before it. Alec had never met this Master Phei, nor did he have any idea what he so much as looked like. He presumed that it would be he that would recognise Alec. Hands pressed firmly against features, Alec’s weary eyes were shielded from the fluorescent lights of the refectory. He had not been hungry.

It felt wrong, that his Knighthood, from all appearances had seemed as though it had been waiting just around the corner for him less than a day ago. Yet here he was perched at the table, wondering just how many more years of discipline were in store for him.

“Not eating, Alec..?” He peered up unblinkingly at the sound of his name.

“Hmm?”

 

“By the Force, you look tired. I-”

“How’s Eric?”

“Well, he…” She shook her head with a sigh, crossing one leg over the bench before clambering up to opposite side of table. “He… He forgives you.”

 

The sense of relief that had washed over Alec in that moment was unmistakable. He briefly dropped his forehead into his palms, sparing a moment to clear the sleep from his eyes before catching Sahin’s gaze once again. Her look of concern did not go unnoticed.

 

“And how do you feel?” Alec inquired with hesitancy.

“It is not my place to say. Besides, I have no doubt that you’d have heard enough from the Council… and everyone else here by now.” A brief smirk formed across Alec’s lips before it was snatched away by his anxiety.
 

“Outside of the Council chambers… I've heard near enough nothing, actually,” he said, momentarily shaking his head from one side to the other. “Everyone else seems content with looking at me in condescension.”

“In their defence, what you did was more than just a little serious. Not to mention, up until that moment, you were more or less the model Padawan Learner.” Alec grimaced; he would have preferred not to have been reminded of that detail. He knew he had been on a good track, some may have said brilliant. Definitely, he thought. So good in fact, that it had twisted him into acting without thinking. What he would give now to be able to undo just a single day of his life, he thought.

 

“Have you heard of Master Phei before?” Sahin’s brow furrowed for a moment, she spared a thoughtful glance towards the ceiling whilst chewing her tongue.

“The iridonian? What about him?”

“I've been placed in his care, is there anything you could tell me?” Her head shook from side to side, a shrug of the shoulders followed thereafter.

“Nothing beyond what he looks like really, sorry.” A moment of silence passed between them. “See Eric when you get the chance.” Alec offered a discreet nod, choosing to remain seated whilst his friend began clambering to her feet.

“Take care, alright?”

“And you,” he replied.

The trip towards the Jedi Archives, whilst brief, felt unusually arduous. Alec mentally berated himself, he was better than this. What was there to fear? A new Master wasn't all that unheard of, after all. He felt it likely that there was some special purpose as to which Master Phei was particularly suited to, but what could that be?

Alec peered back and forth down the expansive hallway; no one was giving him a second look. That was at least a step up at least, he thought. But then where was this Master Phei? He turned on his heel and passed over the threshold into the Archives.

“You must be Alec.” He paused, bewildered for the briefest of moments. Quickly, he glanced between what faces he could see, none neither stood out nor appeared to have been speaking to him. A hand grabbed his shoulder, causing him to flinch. “Lost your nerve a bit, eh? That’s alright; I have no doubt that I’d be panicking a bit, too, were I in your situation.”

“Master Phei?” inquired Alec, turning to face the iridonian.

He nodded. “How familiar are you with the Japrael sector?”

 

[therfiles]

This is a great story, MagSul! You're torturing me by not telling me what he did, but that really adds to the atmosphere of the story. How you portrayed the Jedi Masters was excellent, and O like the inner turmoil of this young apprentice. Keep it up! I want to know what happens!

[MagSul]

Thanks a lot @@therfiles! I'll do what I can to polish off the next segment soon.

[ForceToke]

This is really good. Great setting, suspenseful, and immediately grabbed my interest. Would like to see more of this Alec guy, keep it up 

[Jango40]

Damn it, I thought a new JK game was just announced

[Mog]

That's a pretty good story you got there!

[MagSul]

Thanks guys! Busy work life has held me up with regards to fine tuning the next part. But I'll get around to it as soon as I'm able!

[Mysterious Stranger]

Must confess I thought it was a new game too so it didn't catch my attention initially. But you have me waiting...damn cliffhangers!