The banners of the Jedi were streaming along the vaulted walls of the ancient chamber.
The Jedi temple was alive with the sound of life and celebration. A return to the ways of old, when tournaments of skill were held to distinguish between the Jedi hopefuls and the Jedi hopeless.
The whirling hum of lightsabers seemed to electrify the air. The crack and clash of plasma blades beating the rhythm of the war drums. A small gathering of knights and padawans had circled around where a pair of boys sparred in the round. Of the audience, these were the Jedi of tomorrow -- the New Jedi Order that had cast down the oppressive shackles of the Sith Empire and ushered in a new era of peace and democracy throughout the Core.
The larger of the boys was Anduin, an Echani. Fourteen and already padawan to a Jedi knight. A shock of white hair framed the alabaster skin. A pair of sapphire-like eyes peered out with cold fire.
His opponent was also a child of Eshan, though his opposite in every way. His Thyrsian heritage shining from behind golden eyes burned as bright as stars. His skin kissed by the sun. Hair, course, mahogany of color. Barely eleven years of age, not yet a padawan, yet holding his own.
Anduin started forward. His size making him like a Goliath moving upon David and fueling an overhead swing that threatened to overpower the smaller Echani. But the Thyrsian youth was fleet-footed, his movements like that of a dancer as he stepped off to the side. His training saber angled back as he brought it up in a watershed block that pushed Anduin's blade aside.
It created an opening, into which he neatly stepped through. His lightsaber brought around and then forward, an overhead strike as he pressed the advantage. The attack drove the larger boy back, his desperate leap robbing him of balance as he careened into the audience behind him, stumbling and falling arse-over-backwards. The sight of which sparked the audience to laughter.
Still clutching at his training saber, the Thyrsian youth had watched the scene transpire with a kind of detachment. His throat warm as he sucked in breath, felt his heart racing inside his chest.
A hand reached out, grabbing his wrist and pulling his sword arm up into the air. As the boy's gaze turned upward, he saw a knight with a mass of dark hair smiling over him as the man raised the boy's arm in a triumph that signaled the end of the match. There was a small smattering of applause, while others helped Anduin back to his feet.
For his part, the Thyrsian was confused. This was his first time taking part in a tourney such as this. Or even seeing such a thing as the velocities, the trials, the games taking place across the temple as Jedi celebrated what it was to be a Jedi.
The boy felt the man's hand slip out of his own.
He was going away.
Stretching out his arm, the boy turned his head to reach out for the man...
...and he found himself somewhere else.
Another Jedi temple. But this world, this was not Coruscant. There were trees. Flowers. It was almost wild, as though the planet were not inhabited.
You will go to the Binaros System.
A voice.
Familiar.
Why was it familiar? He turned his head, trying to look for who it was that had spoken, but now found himself in a hospital. A different world. One with people lining the beds, their skin green or gray. Stricken and pained, as a Kaminoan tended to them.
No, this was familiar.
This was why they had come. This was why they had been going... going to...
You will go to the Binaros System.
