C H A P T E R T W O
Inside the Jedi Council room of the lustrous Jedi Temple, two figures, one being Master Roaf and the other being the small, young Daniel Erinos, approach the members of the Jedi Council.
Bowing before them, he presented Daniel in front of him. "Masters of the Jedi Council, I have found this small boy while on my assignment in the Outer Rim. After checking his blood, I found that his midi-chlorian count is at the top of a chain, what is needed for one to become a Jedi. That is why I bring this boy before you today. I ask that he become a Jedi."
Sitting in their chairs, the masters nodded their heads and conferred with those next to them.
Tyvon turned slowly to Daniel and said, "Be prepared, Dan. This moment will change your life forever."
Daniel swallowed hard as his fate was being decided by the intellectuals that held chairs on the Jedi Council.
After a few more seconds of conferring, one of the senior council members, Master Windu, faced him.
"Master Roaf, this boy is older than most of the pupils here to begin training. Why should we elect him to begin Jedi training?"
"Master, this boy has seen a lot of anguish and pain in the past few hours. If you are to maintain your status as peace-keepers, why would you allow him to slip through your hands to the streets?"
Master Windu turned his head slightly sideways, but kept eye contact with Tyvon. "That is exactly why we shouldn't take him in. If he has seen death, he will hold anger and hate for this killer."
"But if he can look past that. He is young, Master. Please don't leave him without a guardian."
Again Mace Windu turned his head, except this time he didn't keep eye contact. He placed his middle and index fingers to his head as though this was a great burden. He returned his gaze to Master Roaf.
"Well, the boy does have a remarkable midi-chlorian count. I suppose we can give it a shot, if he passes the tests."
"Thank you, Masters." Tyvon bowed and looked down at Daniel, who he was astonished to see bowing, just as he did.
The two of them exited the room and walked down the hallway to a flight of stairs. Climbing the stairs, they came to a balcony. The balcony presented a view of the Temple levels below.
"Well Daniel, you have potential to become a Jedi. I'm impressed. Now come, we have a lot to do."
"But sir, I, I don't know if I can do it."
Tyvon gave Daniel a stare that confused him. "You can do anything you set your mind to."
Daniel looked down to his feet. Then, looking back up to Tyvon, he said, "Okay"
_________
A few moments later and a couple of corridors, they reached a small room at the end of the temple. Walking inside, an alien sat at the table, fiddling with a small blow torch and a circular metal prism.
Looking up from his work, the man immediately greeted the two by saying, "Welcome Master Roaf! Always good to see you. Who's your friend?" The man looked down to Dan who was hiding slightly behind Tyvon.
"This is my new padawan, Daniel Erinos. Danny, I'd like you to meet Master Chura."
"Welcome. So, I see why you're here. Give me a second and I'll get you set up." The alien continued working on what now appeared to be the start of a lightsaber.
Daniel took a look around the room. It was a small, circular room with a desk in the middle. A long hallway proceeded down past the desk. On the floor, grates made up what were tiles on the other floors. Steam came out from the grate.
Tyvon turned to Daniel and sighed. Speaking, he said, "The first step to becoming a Jedi is acquiring a weapon. The lightsaber is an important part of a Jedi's duties. You are here to make one."
The Jedi behind the counter, now placing down the item, he was holding, called the two over.
"Young man, step over to the screen."
Daniel followed the man's instructions and stepped over to the console. A touch screen monitor, it displayed a series of different pictures: parts of the lightsaber.
"Okay, young man. First we must start with the hilt. The main components will be assembled as you select them from the screen by me. Any questions?"
Daniel just stared at him.
"Well, get started." The man turned back to his work on the table, flaring th blow torch to life and picking up a new piece of metal bent by a machine with the metal between two clamps.
Tyvon stepped slowly back to rest at the base of a metal pole.
Looking like a confused boy, Daniel started the process. Looking at the screen, he was a variety of different parts. Deciding which one looked the most appealing to him, he selected it by pressing the screen. A confirmation beep came from the computer and a piece flew down a clear tube, right beside the man fiddling with the blow torch.
Next, a completely different selection of pictures appeared on the screen. Using the same process as he had for the first piece, he selected. Again, a slightly piercing beep came and the piece glided through a different tube until it rested at the base. A service droid, now coming into view, lifted the canister from the slot and let it rest on the table, just to the right of its master.
Continuing, he repeated the process a few times more before it came to a display of a variety of colored crystals. He thought of his master’s color, and he selected the green crystal picture on the screen. Instead of being transported through a tube, the service droid raised an antenna on his head, made a series of beeps and clicks, and opened his chest to reveal a “treasure chest” of different crystals. He pulled out a crystal and placed it on his master's desk.
Before shutting its chest compartment, Daniel noticed a crystal encased in a small square case.
Curious, he started out, "Why is that cry...".
Halfway through his sentence, he was cut off by Master Roaf.
"Don't ask. Just know that it belonged to a mad man."
Although he couldn't help but wonder about it or it's owner, he was left a bit confused. He quickly put his curiosity behind him.
At the desk, the man had started and practically finished on his lightsaber in the short session.
Staring at the now fully constructed lightsaber, he was truly astonished.
"Well, that's the best I can do with it. Here you go." The alien held the weapon out in his palm.
Unsure what course of action to take, Daniel just stood there.
"Well? Go ahead boy, take your weapon. And be careful, it is very dangerous."
Daniel stuck out his hand and placed it on the lightsaber hilt. Picking it up, it had a cold metallic feel that was eerie, but at the same time oddly relaxing. He ignited the weapon to see an emerald blade flow from the tip of the hilt to slice through the air.
"Eh, Green. Just like you already, Tyvon," the alien noted.
Tyvon gave a grunt reply. Standing up full, he said, "Now, let's get going. You still need your Jedi robes and to get caught up with training."
Extinguishing the blade, he realized he had no place to store it. Keeping it in his hand, he stepped over beside Tyvon.
Looking down at the boy's hand, the Jedi Master turned without saying a word and stepped to the doorway. Opening it with the Force, he walked out to join the rest of the Temple travelers. Just like entering a maze.
_______
Daniel was struggling to keep up with his new master. Dodging and bobbing the temple dwellers as politely as possible, he kept losing sight of Tyvon. Several of the masters had their hair placed in a similar fashion to him, but when he drew near them, he realized that it wasn't the being he searched for.
Spotting a clearing by a pillar, he shoved his way through the beings. Constantly being pushed from side to side, he eventually left the crowd and surfaced in the clearing.
Turning around to face the large, swarming mass, he searched for the man in the brown robes with the long black hair that would be in there somewhere.
Catching several glimpses of people that appeared similar, he didn't spot his master anywhere.
Then, feeling a slight prickle on the back of his neck, he knew someone was trying to reach him.
Turning around, he was surprised by the sight of his master, standing tall over him
"Learn to keep up next time," Tyvon said harshly.
To Daniel, it seemed as though Tyvon had no feelings toward anyone. Maybe the passion he sensed in this being's eyes was just a fluke feeling. But Tyvon avenged his parents and saved his life, so he stuck with him. Straightening his tunic and adjusting his posture, he cleared his throat and said, "Yes, sir. Sorry, sir."
Turning back around, Tyvon and Daniel slammed into the crowd, heading for an archway in which was filled with flickering light amongst the darkness.
Pushing a Shistavanen out of the way, Daniel saw Tyvon charge headfirst into a conjugation of
Twi-lek Masters.
Told to keep up, he simply followed his master’s instructions and charged headfirst into the crowd to keep up with the Jedi Master.
Making their way out of the crowd, Tyvon stepped to Daniel.
"Take notice of what you see here. Just remember this comes in handy later," Tyvon said, slightly tugging on Daniel's tunic.
Daniel nodded slightly. Thoughts of question filled his head as he tried to figure out what Tyvon had meant.
Stepping under the archway, the two proceeded down a long hallway towards the source of the flickering light. A power generator, obviously to run the tools of the room.
"Master Roaf. Why you come here? You ruin robes ag...". The woman immediately quieted down as Daniel stepped out in front of her.
"No, Javuni. I need you to outfit this boy, though," Tyvon said, stepping to the side a bit.
The woman looked at him, then back at the boy, and then continued with, "I no know Tyvon. The boy look very comfortable in that. I see what I can do."
Javuni turned and proceeded into a gated off storage room filled with boxes, cloth, and miscellaneous.
Daniel turned around to find that Tyvon had dissapeared. Merely astonished by this, he walked back to the archway, looking out. He saw a collection of many masters and apprentices out there, but again there was no sight of Tyvon.
How does he do that? The thought came across Daniel, but he had no time as he turned around to find the woman coming out with several rolls of fabric in each of her hands.
"Okay, we start out with brown. No, tan. You know, we start out with brown for the cloak, then go brownish tan for the robes." Laying the fabrics down on the table, she immediately got to work cutting up the fabrics, then laying them down on top of one another.
Looking up from her work momentarily, she said, "Don't you have training to attend to, young one?"
Daniel was about to say no when Tyvon came out of the shadows, speaking for him.
"Yes, the boy does." Turning to Daniel, he loosened one of the pouch flaps on his belt and pulled out a shimmering metallic com-link. Pressing a button, it lit up to reveal a holo-pic that showed a diagram of the temple. Fiddling with some of the buttons, a red line immediately traced through the diagram and ended at one of the high points of the temple.
"Take this," Tyvon continued. "It will lead you to the training room. Tell them I sent you."
"Yes, Master. But-". Daniel was immediately cut off by his master.
"Just go. You'll be fine."
"Yes, Master," Daniel repeated again, this time without the "but". Turning, he left the room and started approaching a lift that was marked on the com-link.
_______
Tyvon watched the boy leave. As he stepped onto the hoverlift, he saw the boy immediately whooshed upward.
"Ah, this is the last time I ever take on a padawan, I tell you that," he said. "Too much responsibility."
Giving Javuni no time to add a remark, he simply walked out of the room.
With several hellos or hi's thrown toward Tyvon, he simply told the people he was not able to speak at the moment, continuing to his rendezvous point.
Before pressing the keypad on the door, he looked up as though he felt a great disturbance in the Force. In the sky above, through one of the viewports on the roof, he could see traffic hovering hazily through the skylanes of Coruscant. He heard a loud whistling in his ear, similar to that of a jet turbine.
"Tyvon." A young Twi'lek broke his concentration. Blinking off the last of the trance, he turned to find his former padawan standing behind him.
The Rutian, blueish in color, had an athletic build in which showed many sessions of work out. On her head, she wore a form of headband, through which slender Lekku flowed down her head to her mid-back.
"Tuvine," the Master retorted. "I see you still know where to find me."
She looked at him for a moment, her brown eyes examining him, possibly scanning for something.
"I always know where to find my master. I hear you're not only my master anymore...".
"Well, I have my orders. Same as you." He stood up firm and turned around to face the keypad again. Typing in a code given to all Jedi, the door zoomed open to reveal a small, but cozy "apartment".
Entering the room, Tyvon became situated on a circular pedestal. Closing his eyes, he began to meditate.
Tuvine slowly followed him into the room, too becoming fixated onto a chair. She closed her eyes. Trying to figure out Tyvon's thoughts, she saw visions of tyranny followed by pain and anguish. She also sensed a secret hidden by Tyvon. It was... that the boy had the highest midi-chlorian count on record!
Breaking the seal between her eyes, she immediately confronted her former instructor. "Roaf, how many people know about that boy? She asked with great patience, not changing nor fidgeting.
"Only the council..." Tyvon paused.
Tuvine's face grew broad with worry. She confronted him once again. "Are you sure?"
He did not reply to her. Standing up, he proceeded to stand in front of a plastoid stand, with which held a few supplies for a Jedi, one being a com-link, a grappling dart and launching mechanism, and a few other necessary supplies for a Jedi's assigned missions to numerous worlds with varying environments.
His answer came out coarse to Tuvine. "No, there was sometroube at his home, but the boy knew nothing."
She regarded him with sudden fear. "Master, you have to tell the council about that boy. You must or he could die."
"Tuvine, if the council has any reason to outcast that boy, it is because of an assassination on him. You know that as well as I."
"Yes, but when the assassination is on one of the most powerful padawans ever put on record, there is good cause to at least present this young boy to the Council for their regards."
Tyvon stood there. He answered, "When the boy completes his training lesson today, I'll take him right to the Council."
"Yes, Master. Thank you." Tuvine turned to leave the small room. "Thank you." She exited the room with the door whooshing closed behind her.
Tyvon something called out to him. He whirled around quickly to see a helmeted figure peering through the above window. At the sight of Tyvon's face, the figure took off into the civilian filled streets.
Oh no you don't Tyvon thought.
Quickly flinging around, he activated the door lock for the room and took off, leaving the room empty behind him. He was as fast as a podracer out of the starting line. Proceeding into the lobby, he quickly darted and dodged past the Jedi unexpectedly plummeting to the ground by his force.
Looking above, at the windows that covered the main level streets where other Jedi, sentients, humanoids, and droids hung out, he saw several of the offended and startled bystanders as they were rudely and abruptly shoved out of the way by the assailant.
"Move!," Tyvon cried, running for a nearby pillar. Securing a foothold on the base, he quickly heaved himself up the pillar with sheer muscle and the assistance of the Force.
Whipping out his lightsaber, he shattered through the window that he had just been relying on for a broadcast of the criminal's location.
Although he didn't notice it, his lightsaber fell to the ground as he tumbled on to the cold, murky cement of the Coruscant streets. Rain was falling all around him, a storm raging above.
A crackle of thunder sounded as Tyvon shot after the criminal, his weapon lying back on the walkway.
"Somebody stop that man!" Tyvon wiped a bead of sweat from his brow as his lungs expanded and deflated from the vigorous running.
A by-standing Trandoshan heard his call, and although he tried to stop him, the criminal took hold of the alien.
"Don't move or the Hammerhead dies!" The armored-man slowly backed up, step by step.
