Chapter Text
28 BBY
"By the right of the Council. By the will of the Force. Aayla Secura. Rise, Jedi Knight."
She couldn't believe it. It was finally happening!
Master Vos stood next to her, proud of his little Padawan.
He also got the rank of the Jedi Master, now that she was a Knight.
Unfortunately, with every up, there's a down.
She will have to let go of her Master. Of her father. Of her best friend.
She didn't want to.
Yet, she knew it was necessary.
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As Aayla passed her Knight trials and got promoted to the rank of the Jedi Knight, Danas Drak also passed his Initiate Trials.
It was the time of the Gathering.
Danas and a few of his fellow Initiates were taken to planet Illium by Padawan Nahdar Vebb.
There, Master Yoda waited for them.
Grandmaster opened the door to the Jedi Temple and told them to go looking for their Kyber Crystal. They had the time until the door didn't freeze all over again.
Or they would be trapped inside for a very long night.
As they entered the Temple, Danas separated from the rest of the group.
Mostly, because he felt he was supposed to go there.
But also, because everyone would've left him anyway.
They always bullied him.
Called him names.
He didn't want to deal with them now.
It was a win-win for both sides.
Danas kept walking. And walking. And walking.
The corridor he entered seemed endless.
It was dark. And cold.
Danas started to grow impatient. Where was that crystal?
Finally, he reached the corridor's end.
Nothing...
Nothing.
NOTHING!
All this walk, for NOTHING?!
He sat on the cold floor.
Maybe everyone was right. Maybe he wasn't meant to be a Jedi after all.
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The door to the Temple was frozen halfway.
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Danas started crying.
He would disappoint everyone who believed in him.
Master Ti.
Master Nu.
Master Sinube.
Barriss.
Aayla
He froze.
He remembered their first meeting.
'Be proud of who you are'
She was right.
He passed his Initiate Trials.
That had to mean something.
Suddenly, he saw a light behind him.
He turned around and saw it.
His Kyber Crystal.
He sighed with relief and smiled.
He picked it up.
Then, the crystal split in two.
No!
No, no, no, no, no, no, no!
Danas wanted to cry more, but couldn't.
He had to get out of here.
He took the remains of his crystal.
Maybe Master Yoda would let him re-take the Gathering?
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The door was frozen by three-quarters.
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Danas ran as fast as he could.
He saw the entrance.
He ran under the ice.
Padawan Vebb and Master Yoda smiled at him.
Then, Danas froze.
He was the first one to emerge!
"Found the crystal, did you?" asked the Grandmaster.
"Yes, Master Yoda. But..."
"But?"
"It split in two when I picked it up" answered Danas sadly.
He expected a lot of reactions from Master Yoda.
But definitely not laughing.
"Why are you laughing, Master?"
"Nothing wrong you did. The crystal splitting, uncommon it is, yes. But nothing wrong, you did."
Danas was confused.
"What Master Yoda means, is that the crystal splitting in a half means, that your lightsaber will be double-bladed" added Padawan Vebb.
Danas sighed with relief.
He passed.
He PASSED!
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The other Younglings arrived after him and to say they were shocked to see Danas, would be an understatement.
They immediately started whispering that he didn't pass or cheated.
A stern look from Master Yoda shut them up immediately.
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Master Huyang was an interesting droid.
He was older than Master Yoda himself and oversaw thousands of generations of Jedi.
He said: 'think of a question this droid cannot answer' when another Youngling (a Pantoran boy) doubted his abilities.
Danas smirked.
Oh, it was so on.
Huyang in all the time he functioned has never met a Youngling who asked so many questions. And that's saying something, considering his age.
The young Zabrak asked about everything he could think of: about the Old Republic, the lightsabers, who built Huyang, etc.
It turned out the boy needed tools for a double-bladed saber.
It was a challenge.
But Huyang liked challenges.
"What will make you strong in battle and humble in retreat? What connects with your Force?"
Danas concentrated. Then, he felt it.
"Laminasteel."
"Ah, yes, yes. Now, where do I got this...?
"Master Huyang?"
"Yes?"
"Are you Force-sensitive? Can droids even be Force-sensitive?"
"Not now, please."
Padawan Vebb and Huyang watched over the Younglings as they constructed their sabers.
The droid told them to follow the schematics but then remembered that the Zabrak needed a double-bladed one. Huyang spent an entire hour looking for it.
This boy was more of a challenge than he had anticipated.
The Younglings finished their weapons.
Huyang accepted them all and told them to activate them.
All of the Younglings had green or blue blades.
Except for Danas.
His double-bladed lightsaber filled the room with a yellow light.
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"Master Ti! Master Ti! I passed!"
The young Zabrak ran up to the Togruta Master and showed her his lightsaber.
Shaak Ti's eyes widened.
"Is it double-bladed?"
"Yes. When I finally found my crystal (it felt like ages before I found it) it split in two. I almost had a heart attack, because I was worried that I did something wrong but Master Yoda only laughed and told me that everything was okay" he started babbling.
"Do I hear my favorite Zabrak?"
Danas turned around.
"Pada- I mean Knight Secura! Congratulations on passing your Trials!"
"Thank you. Congratulations on passing the Gathering! May I see your lightsaber?" said the Twi'lek. "Master Ti" she greeted the Jedi Master politely.
"Of course!"
Aayla took it from him and examined it.
"It suits you."
"Thank you. Master Huyang said the yellow sabers are mostly used by Jedi Sentinels and are not that common."
"It's yellow?" asked Shaak Ti.
"Mhm."
The two women looked at each other.
"I think Master Huyang was very tired after all the questions I asked him. Do droids even get tired?"
The boy really was something else.
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25 BBY
"No."
"No?"
"No."
Aayla Secura stood in front of the Jedi Council. She put in a request for a Padawan. The Council was pleased that she wanted to pass her knowledge.
Until they learned who she had chosen.
"Master Windu, with all due respect but..."
"Knight Secura" said Mace Windu. "You are not suitable for training the boy."
"And why is that?"
"He's surrounded with the Dark Side. He's on the edge of succumbing to it."
"Are you sure Master Windu?" asked Shaak Ti, who now sat on the Jedi Council in place of late Master Yaddle. "I sense no such thing when I'm around him."
"You brought the boy to the Temple" said Mace. "Your vision is clouded, Master Ti."
"Not necessarily" countered Adi Gallia. "I didn't interact with the boy that much but I also don't sense any Dark Side in him. At least not in the amount you speak of, Master Windu."
"Are you sure you're not letting your prejudices get in the way, Master Windu?" asked Depa Bilaba.
Mace looked in shock at his former Padawan.
"I'm not prejudiced. He'll need a Master who can help him with not falling to the Dark Side. You don't meet the criteria Knight Secura."
"I survived the brush with the Dark Side" stated Aayla. "I can help him. Besides, who else if not me?
"Me" answered Mace Windu.
Aayla didn't want to reveal the bond she had with Danas but she had no other choice.
"We're already bonded."
"WHAT?"
Aayla's face remained calm, despite all the anger boiling inside her.
"We've met five years ago. He was upset because everyone kept giving him nasty looks because of his resemblance to Darth Maul. Including you, Master Windu."
"Excuse me?"
"He said and I quote: 'he looks at me like I'm the embodiment of the Dark Side itself.' And didn't you just say that he's surrounded by the Dark Side, yet it seems you're the only one in this room who thinks so?"
Mace looked at his fellow council members for support.
Plo Koon, Shaak Ti, Adi Gallia, and Depa Bilaba sent him a 'you're on your own' look. Others avoided eye contact.
Master Yoda looked very amused.
"Helped him, did you?" he asked.
"I only passed down the lesson, Master Vos taught me. That he should be proud of who he is and let others stick to their stereotypical and prejudiced beliefs. It's their problem, after all, not his" she answered, directing the last part to Master Windu.
Mace frowned. But remained silent. He knew that he lost that one.
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Danas had no idea why the Council summoned him.
He walked to the Chambers, accompanied by Barriss and her Master Luminara Unduli.
As they got closer, everyone kept whispering:
"Maybe they're kicking him out..."
"It's about time..."
"They should do it in public. I would pay to watch it..."
Master Unduli shot them a scolding look.
"Don't listen to them" Barriss sent him a reassuring smile.
"I know."
The thirteen-year-old Zabrak walked into the Council's Chamber.
Every member of the Council was present.
So was Knight Secura.
Danas was confused.
"You wanted to see me?"
"Yes" answered Master Yoda. He then nodded at Aayla who walked up behind the boy.
"Knight Secura. Initiate Drak. Master and Padawan, now, you are."
Danas barely registered the words and he felt something being attached to his horns. He took it in his hand.
Black silka beads. They had two circles, each one wrapped around his horns - a top one and a lower one. His padawan braid ended right before his shoulder.
He turned to his Master and smiled.
She smiled back.
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"When we're starting our training Master?"
"You're that eager to learn?"
"Of course I am!"
"Then we'll start tomorrow. With meditation training."
Danas groaned.
"Meditation? Do we have to?"
Aayla raised an eyebrow.
"I thought you wanted to learn?"
"I do! But meditation? Who in their right mind likes meditation?"
Aayla chuckled.
"Don't worry. I never was very good at meditating or liked it. We'll suffer through it together."
"Promise, Master?"
"Yes, I promise."