Saga - PT Jedi Qymaen : Beginnings (PT AU Saga)

56 BBY

Coruscant, Coruscant System, Core Worlds

Grandmaster Yoda's Quarters, Jedi Temple​

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Fear. Death. It all permeated around the Master Yoda. And he could do nothing to stop it. The master had tried to do something, anything, to save those in need but there was nothing he could do. For visions, as real as they might seem, were intangible. So he could only watch.

From the murky depths of the vision, he saw himself on a thick jungle world that looked clean, pure. As if the Galaxy hadn't touched it in eons or decades. The sky was a vibrant green and the trees a beautiful yellow that mixed into a sea of unparalleled beauty. However, the world was tragically hiding something much more sinister, something that the Force was making the Jedi Master watch despite his unwillingness to do so.

All around him, giant praying mantis-like beings fought humanoid lizard-like beings with blasters, though the attacked were using Spears, swords, anything that could assist them in combat. In the end, however, the result was to be expected.

How could one expect to defeat a technologically advanced for after a surprise attack?

A sudden shriek brought the Master's attention as he watched an insect, a being known as a Yam'rii from the Republic's archives, pulled one of the attacked race, and a female at that, behind a ruined hut. Yoda grit his teeth and shut his eyes as he heard a gut wrenching scream as the Yam'rii used the poor female for his own sickly pleasures.

"Make it stop!" He begged to no one in particular except the Force, who was the one sending him this vision. "Take much more, I cannot!" He was always willing to help be a student of the Force, to seek it out for guidance, but when all it sent him was a vision of Innocents being slaughtered while he could do nothing but watch, that was when he couldn't take it anymore. All the screaming, all the pleading. It was too much. And then...silence.

Yoda waited patiently, fearing he might have gone death from all the death and devastation around him. Minutes passed and yet, the silence remained. Slowly, ever so carefully, he opened his eyes to see what was around him, hoping the carnage had ceased and became a black void of nothing. Instead, the battle had frozen, as if someone had pressed pause on it much like one would do with a holonet video.

It was then that Master Yoda caught a sudden and sporadic movement from the corner of his right eye. Quickly turning around, he saw a young child, no younger than five perhaps, running and hiding from the destruction. “Wait!” Called out the Master, following the child. It didn’t take long, for the child had found a resting place : A small ditch covered by logs and it was there that Yoda finally glimpsed the child, no, the boy, and his golden eyes.

Menacing golden eyes

Eyes filled with anger, hatred, and rage. Emotions that only the Sith utilized. The Jedi Master gawked at the boy. W-was he the next Sith Lord? Was the Force telling him to kill this child before he could become a threat? It was at that moment that Yoda realized the sudden burst of Force Energy that young one had, feeling his connection to the force to be quite strong.

This youngling was powerful, no doubt. If the Force demanded it, then he would have no other choice. The Sith were not allowed to return, under any circumstances.

But...the Jedi also felt other emotions from the boy. Fear was an open one but the Master didn’t fault him for the fear. He had seen his entire village slaughtered and was reasonably assumed that he was next. But there were other emotions there as well. Emotions that made the Grandmaster of the Jedi Council realize the potential in him.

These emotions were emotions that only those in the light side felt. Love, Intelligence, Kindness, Compassion, Honor, Bravery, Selflessness. Many were there and Yoda felt that these many traits were those of the child’s people. He hummed in thought. “An honorable people.” He mused. “Rare in this galaxy, that is.” He took another look at the boy and saw what could only be described as his potential future.

Two, in fact.

He couldn’t make out either that well, but the first seemed pure and one where the child went down the path of a Jedi. He saw the child training, honing his skills with a twi’lek, gender undetermined. He saw the child, now all grown up, fighting against the Yam’rii with a female Togruta and more of his people fighting alongside him. He saw him, maskless, fighting against a sith lord with all his might. Finally, he saw the child, now old and dying, smiling, enjoying what was likely a happy life.

The second, however, was far darker.

An explosion. Droids. Many Jedi, including the Togrutta, laid slain at his feet. He couldn’t make out much from the darkness of this future but something told the Jedi Councillor this would be the child’s future should the vision be ignored. Then, darkness overcame the Jedi Master.

Master Yoda opened his eyes with a loud audible gasp as he struggled to catch his breath. Never before had a meditation session been so tense. Never had one given him so much while telling him so little. The details the Force had shown him was enough to convince him to go out and actively search for the Child. Yet, however, the Jedi had not been told where the Child was currently inhabiting.

It was then, he remembered, that a Yam’rii had said a single word to one of the Child’s kind before killing him during the Master’s vision. “Kalee.” He said aloud, stroking his chin in deep thought. He had indeed heard of a place known as Kalee before. Many horror tales of those who came to the planet and returned. From what he had heard, Kalee was a beautiful world, filled with lush jungle and open seas, but it was one desperate for resources and filled to the brim with fauna unafraid to kill.

The race that inhabited the planet, the Kaleesh, from what the Master had heard, were a spiritual people, believing those of their race that preformed great deeds in life would become gods in death. They would also hunt and kill the animals of their planet before taking a portion of their skull and wearing it for themselves, believing it would bring them luck in future battles. From what he could gather from the stories, the Kaleesh were a reptilian race with reddish-brown scaly skin, four-clawed hands, five-clawed feet, and many other features that seemed strange to many. Yet Yoda found many curious things about the Kaleesh.

Interesting, though they might be, he realized he would all the time available to study them in person by bringing the child he saw in his vision to the temple and quickly at that. But just as he was about to walk out the door, he suddenly remembered the Twi’lek he saw in his vision, the one that the Kaleesh boy had been training. He closed his eyes in thought as his personal service droid approached. “Master Yoda, am I correct in assuming that you are heading out?” It asked in a feminine voice and Yoda hummed in approval.

“Indeed I am. But one question, have I.” He said before pausing. “How many Twi’lek jedi are there? Currently in this temple, I mean.” He clarified and the droid paused for a few brief seconds, analyzing the archives of data it had been currently given before finally answering.

"Only one, Master Yoda.”

“Whomst is it?”

“Jedi Consular Pojcrire, who recently finished her training under Councillor Dolu Neesmech only a few weeks ago. She has yet to be given any major assignments, considering her training was only finished such a short time ago.” So, Pojcrire was to accompany him on his journey to Kalee to find the boy? The force worked in mysterious ways, indeed. “Master Yoda, are you sure you want to bring an inexperienced youth with you?”

“Indeed I am. Never more sure, in fact.” He waved his hand as he walked off. “Contact Consular Pojcrire immediately. Tell her to meet me at the nearest transport in the temple and await my arrival. Important mission, the Force have sent us on.” And with that, he left his quarters, setting out for Kalee and for that young child.
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1 Standard Day Later

Kalee Orbit, Kalee System, Wild Space​

To say the recently christened Jedi Consular Pojcrire was ecstatic would be an understatement. Here she was, barely out of her padawan robes for a couple of weeks, and the Grandmaster of the Order was bringing her on an important mission! The yellow female Twi’lek with blue eyes grinned happily as her dual bladed green and blue lightsaber remained at her hip, ready for use should the need arise.

It was strange that the Master was bringing her to a system she had never even heard of but she didn’t question it. This was Grandmaster Yoda, who ancient and wise. He knew exactly what he was doing...at least, Pojcrire hoped he did. After all, it would be a kriffing shock to hear they went out here and the Master forgot as to why. Despite her initial belief of Yoda’s unquestionable wisdom in all things, she found herself speaking before she could stop herself. “Master Yoda?” the Grandmaster hummed in response, though his eyes never left the transport’s controls.

“Hmm? A question, you have, Consular?” The Twi’lek reluctantly nodded after a pregnant pause of hesitance.

“I’m curious...Why are we out here? In this system, I mean?” He raised an eyebrow at her question and she instantly snapped to attention. “I-I mean, no disrespect to you, Master, I would never think of that, but until today, I never even heard of this system yet alone be within the planet it is named for.” He smiled and gave a brief laugh and the Twi’lek liked the laugh the Grandmaster was giving. It was...fatherly, like she always imagined him being. It was something silly but she always enjoyed a father figure, due to the fact that her master, a green rodian by the name of Dolu Neesmech who currently served on the Council, was very strict and never all that affectionate with her during training. She didn’t know why, but she assumed it was due to the horrors the Jedi Master had seen in the Melida/Daan Civil War that had been ongoing for centuries, as shown by the fact that it was still continuing to this day, as well as his battle with his corrupt ex master Ups Jee who turned to the Dark Side. She shuddered at the thought of being in the middle of that war when it was at its zenith. Fortunately, in the last few years, everything had cooled down some.

“Great question, you have asked. Heard of this planet, I have, but only fleetingly with nothing more than small details, I am afraid to say.” The small master broke her from her thoughts as he looked out on the world ahead of them. “Still beautiful, it is.” Pojcrire nodded.

“Indeed, master.” This planet, Kalee, looked beautiful...stunning, even. What was in front of their ship was a planet filled with greens, blues, and yellows with some traces of brown mixed in, indicating large canyons and long mountain ranges. But all in all, the surface looked to brimming in a massive jungle, filled with all sorts of life, likely undiscovered by the Galaxy at large. She gave a slight gulp as she imagined what creatures could be lurking in Kalee’s jungles, hungry for perhaps their first ever taste of Twi’lek flesh. She felt a calming hand touch her and saw Yoda patting her shoulder soothingly while looking at him with a warm smile.

“Understand your initial fear, I do, but worry not, Pojcrire. Help protect you, I will. And, if seperated we are, then trust in the force, you should, and guide you to me, it will.” He reassured and the young Twi’lek smiled and nodded in acknowledgement. Who was she kidding? She was here with Yoda, who was very likely to outmaneuver and easily kill any creature that even came close to them. Plus, she had a lot of lightsaber training, even if she preferred the force and diplomacy more, unlike her former master. Her lightsaber would hopefully be a deterrent enough. She looked at the little green being and raised an eyebrow.

“Master, where are we landing?”

“There.” Yoda pointed to a set of coordinates and the woman nodded as the Transport slowly took them down to the location. As they got closer and closer, Pojcrire noticed something coming from it. It was big, black, puffy and...oh force, were they heading to a forest fire?! Yoda used the force to grab the lightsaber from his hip and hopped away once he set the transport to Autopilot, going to the transports ramp as it slowly opened when they came closer. “Stay here, you must. Give you the signal to come out once the area is scouted, I will.” And with that, he was too the Cargo bay.

“Master!” She screamed and shock as she looked at the little green being ignite his lightsaber and jump out the transport, likely to investigate the area to make sure it was safe. Turning around in her seat, she began to talk to herself to calm her nervousness. “Master Yoda can handle it if something is out there, I mean, what can’t he handle?” It was a redundant question, as it seemed nothing could be able to stop the little green Grandmaster if he was given enough time to properly analyze the situation. She then felt the transport land with a solid thud and she looked up to see that the Transport was facing the jungle, meaning Yoda had purposefully turned away from the fire so she couldn’t see.

Initially, she was upset. She wasn’t a youngling anymore, she could take whatever Yoda was investigating, but then she realized something. Yoda always had a good reason for the things he did. It usually didn’t seem like it at the time, but there was always a method to his madness. He was perhaps the most in tune with the force a Jedi had ever been and ever will be, she assumed. Shrugging, she decided to take out a few treats she had sneaked into the temple and onto the temple, which was around a dozen or so chocolate covered doughnuts. It usually wasn’t the Jedi way to treat themselves so flagrantly like this but for some reason, she just felt she needed to get them today. It wasn’t for any reason in particular, just she felt like she needed it. It was strange, to say the least.

They weren’t large doughnuts. In fact, they were the whole variety. Still, she softly nibbled on the one she took out from the packaging, which was thankfully small enough to be carried in her pocket, and gave a soft hum of pleasure from the explosion of sweetness and flavor that came from the treat. Jelly filling, she mused to herself as she continued to nibble into her snack, enjoying each and every tiny bite. It was then that she heard, however, several loud squawks and a giant rumbling noise that made her freeze. It seemed the local fauna had discovered the transport and was investigating the interior, most likely.

Quickly, she popped the whole into her mouth and chewed it before swallowing and closed the packaging before putting it back into her pocket as she wiped herself with a napkin. Once that was over with, she used the force to grab her dual bladed lightsaber quietly and quickly before she slowly got up from her seat and sneaked to the wall. She counted down from ten before coming around the corner with her lightsaber ignited on one end only to see nothing there. Still suspicious, she slowly walked forward, weapon at the ready and slowly made her way down the ramp of the transport before two distinct the stenches hit her nostrils, one not surprising her but the other almost making her vomit. The first was the stench of burning wood.

The second was death.

She froze, unsure of what to do. For many years, ever since the destruction of the Sith, the Jedi had been nothing but peacekeepers, not warriors fighting battles but instead knights keeping the peace on planets and ensuring diplomacy wins out over war. They hadn’t seen death in a long time.


To make it more specific, SHE hadn’t seen or smelt death in a long time. Even if he was cruel and strict, Councillor Neesmech never subjected her to the horrors death brought. It would be too much for the young Twi’lek, he believed.

And yet, Master Yoda had brought her here, where death filled the air and mixed with the smell of fire. Only one thought filled her mind as her feet touched the ground of Kalee for the first time. ‘W-why did Master Yoda bring me here?’ A loud squawk grabbed her attention and instantly, she ignited the other end of her lightsaber and brought her weapon to bear, looking for any creature that dared to come near and attack her. The rushing and sounds of Kalee’s wildlife frightened her. From her breath reads on the journey to the planet, she had discovered that Kalee’s apex predator, besides the native Kaleesh, were the the Mumuu, a cat like being with several pairs of legs and fierce canines that the Kaleesh fought to pass the time. She did not one to be face to face with one anytime soon. As she turned around, however, she met a sight that scarred her more than any beast could.

Dead bodies.

Dozens of them.

All of them strewn about as huts burned near them.

This is a village.

Was a village.

And the bodies were the once living inhabitants.

For the second time that day, the Twi’lek nearly vomited at the sight. She looked around, horrified at the sight. All around her were the bodies of Kaleesh warriors with the Blasters near their empty hands. And all around them were insect like beings that Pojcrire knew were the Yam’rii. She had indeed met them several times on her travels and to say they were scum were be an understatement. They just didn’t feel right and looking at the carnage in front of her, she had a feeling they were the instigators. She saw the sight of the ripped clothing of several kaleesh women with dead yam’rii on them and shut her eyes tightly. That confirmed her suspicions. What could drive a race to do such horrible things to another, she had no idea. Her own race, the Twi’leks, were abused across the galaxy and while she hated the injustices committed against her people, there was nothing she could do. Most Twi’leks downplayed the slavery of all kinds they endured and said it was good for their race. Twi’lek Jedi were seen as an experiment that shouldn’t exist and by the force, her own father tried to sell her as a slave to a Human for crying out loud! Thankfully, the Jedi had discovered her before the transaction took place, but still, it angered her.

But unlike the Twi’leks, the Kaleesh were fighting against the Yam’rii, who were likely looking for slaves.

They were doing something that very few races, including her own, did.

They were fighting back, and even against a technologically superior foe, they seemed to have the Yam’rii at a stalemate.

Why weren’t the Yam’rii giving up?

What was so important about Kalee that they needed to fight a race that was making them pay many lives to be subjugated?

She needed to know why.

She heard a sorrowful sigh and opened her eyes, seeing Master Yoda walking across the destroyed village and bodies and shaking his head sorrowfully. “Needless waste of life, this was.” He said, shaking his head and Pojcrire couldn’t do anything but agree with him as she nodded, frowning. “Preventable, had the Yam’rii accepted Kaleesh wishes for freedom.” He let put a deep breath and shook his head once more, this time in shame. “Stupid. Pointless.” He said bitterly as he checked the bodies of the Kaleesh, trying and failing to find any survivors of this massacre.

Pojcrire couldn’t stop herself from asking “Master, why are we here?” Instantly, she clamped a hand over her mouth as she deactivated her lightsaber as a form of silencing herself as the Grandmaster looked at her curiously, an eyebrow raised and he motioned for her to continue. She truly didn’t but decided to get all her questions asked anyway. It would be helpful to find out why they were here and what they were looking for, after all. “Forgive my bluntness, Master Yoda, But I, uh...I need to know. Why are we here, in a destroyed village, on a backwater planet? All you just told me was that we were on an important mission and nothing more. What is the goal of this mission?” She pinched her nose, stopping herself before she blew up as she gave a small breath and finally asked, “Master, answer me clearly, why are we here?” The small green Jedi softly and gently smirked and nodded as he continued to look for survivors.


“Excellent questions, those were. And answer them, I will.” He took a few moments to check the pulse of a teenage Kaleesh male before giving a soft sigh at the realization that he was dead. Then he continued to speak. “A vision, the Force gave to me, of this village. Witness the battle, I did. Horrible sight, it was, but hope I found.” He spoke softly, yet in the stillness of the ruins, where little but the howls and squawks of Kalee Fauna and the crackling of the burning huts were creating sound, she heard him clearly. Pojcrire almost scoffed at what the master was saying.

“Hope? Here?” She gave a sorrowful breath before shaking her head, gritting her teeth in slight anger as she did so. “The only hope I see here is the hope that the afterlife is good to the Kaleesh and awful to the Yam’rii.”

“Anger at another being, not the Jedi way, it is. Understandable upon this sight, indeed, but never acceptable.” He scolded and Pojcrire froze in realization before bowing her head in shame.

“Of course, Master. I’m sorry.” The green Jedi simply waved his hand.

“Understandable, I said your feelings were. Understand them, I do. But do not let it could your judgement.” The yellow twi’lek nodded before Yoda spoke once more. “Hope, I indeed saw. Not from the carnage, for the battle was lost, as this shows.” He then looked to the jungles, causing the Jedi Consular to look with him in curiosity. “Out there, the hope is.” She looked down at the Grandmaster. What was he saying? “Saw a young boy, I did. Around 5, he must be. Ran into the jungle during the worst of the carnage, he did.” As if sensing Pojcrire’s incoming question, he turned to her and said simply. “Force sensitive, he was.” The made the Twi’lek’s crystal blue eyes widen in shock. A force sensitive child, here?! On this planet?! Near this destruction and he was almost enslaved by the Yam’rii?! She shuddered at what the yam’rii would’ve done had they discovered him to be force sensitive or what the boy would’ve done after years of being a slave. Almost immediately, she ran into the jungle, only to be stopped by a cry from Yoda. She turned and he pointed elsewhere in the Jungle. “Over there, the young boy went. Split up, we will. If neither of us find him by sundown, leave, we will.” He looked down at the last part and Pojcrire got what he was saying. He could handle just about anything the galaxy could throw at him, so it wasn’t him he was worried about.

No, it was her, a Jedi who had only put on the boots of the Consular only for a short while. Not even a standard month. She couldn’t be trusted to defend herself as flawlessly as Master Yoda could. So that begged a final question to be asked, one that had recently been brought to mind. “Master, forgive me for any impotence.” She spoke softly, causing him to stop and look at her curiously. With his attention gained, she pressed. “But why have you brought me here? You can easily fight off the wildlife on this planet with one arm behind my back while I can barely hold my own in a duel for more than necessary. So why did you bring me along?”

“Saw you in the vision, I did. Saw two futures for the boy, with you appearing in the one I assumed to be good.” She opened his eyes at his statement but opened her mouth to question him further but he continued on his way. “We must go and search the area. Sundown will come soon. Not safe, it will be.” He said simply.

‘Not safe for me.’ but she didn’t voice her thoughts and instead walked in her own path separate from Yoda’s in the nearby area. She scanned the distance for hours, looking for any sight of a small kaleesh running along so she could find and hopefully bring him to the temple where he would be well cared for and be trained to use his abilities wisely. The effort, however, bore no fruit, as nothing other than small rodent-like creatures and other miniature Kalee fauna scampered about, causing the foliage to rustle and look in the area only to be disappointed at what she would find.

“This is hopeless!” She cried out after she felt what was around four hours had passed. Sundown was fast approaching and there was still no sign of the boy. “It’s been a standard day since Master Yoda had that vision at the least and the boy could’ve ran anywhere it took in the time for us to arrive here.” She gave a shameful sigh. She didn’t want to give up on searching for the child, she would never forgive herself if she did, but it was time to face the facts. There was no sign of the youngling and it was very likely that maybe a mumuu had gotten to him already. She shivered at the thought of a young Kaleesh, unknowing of his own abilities, being torn apart by a brutal predator so quickly after his home was destroyed. It was a fate she didn’t wish upon anyone.

Just as she was about to turn around and head back to the transport, she heard it, a slight, tiny whimpering that one with little training couldn’t hear. But she, being a Jedi, was trained to listen and detect even the faintest of noises so she could prepare herself for anything that could happen when was on a mission. The whimpering was close, meaning the owner was nearby.

Quietly, she maneuvered her way through the foliage, hearing the whimpering getting slightly louder and louder before she arrived at a ditch, where she discovered the whimpering was the loudest they were ever going to get, though it wasn’t much louder than the squawk of an animal far off in the distance. Getting on her hands and knees, the consular looked into the ditch, curious to find the cause of whimpering, and was met with two bright amber reptilian eyes that met her blue ones.

She nearly jumped back out of instinct, due to the shock of seeing something like that so suddenly, but she steeled herself. This was probably the young child Master Yoda had seen in his vision and she wasn’t going to let the youngling out of her sight. Not when she was this close to bringing him to safety. Calmly, she called out to him. “Hey, it’s alright. I’m a Jedi. Me and a friend of ours is here to help.”

“J-jedi?” The child question and it was then that Pojcrire realized the poor thing didn’t quite know what a Jedi was, much like how she didn’t know what Kalee was before arriving here. She decided to explain to the young one as simply as she could.

“We’re a galaxy-wide organization of peacekeepers dedicated to the light side of the force, protecting those who can’t protect themselves.” She then pointed at him. “My friend detected what had happened here and decided to come here to rescue you. He brought me along.” She couldn’t tell him he was force sensitive just yet. He didn’t want the young boy to think her crazy and flee. The Kaleesh probably didn’t know much about the Force, considering their planet. She outstretched her hand slowly to the young one, not looking to cause fright and she tried to be as open and motherly as possible which, to Twi’leks at least, came quite naturally. “I’m here to help you. Don’t worry.”

“How can I not be sure that you won’t turn me in to the Huk once we’re out of the Jungle?” Huk? Then she closed her eyes in realization. So that was the Kaleesh name for the Yam’rii then. It made sense, she supposed. The Yam’rii did come from the planet known as Huk. Thinking as to how the child could trust her, she opened her eyes and got the package of doughnuts from earlier, and carefully placed one into her hand. The poor thing looked like it hadn’t ate in a while so this little treat would probably be like a feat to him. The boy at first sniffed at the doughnut suspiciously with a strange bat-like nose, as if attempting to detect malicious intent behind the sugary treat. When he smelled none, he grabbed it and took a smile, gentle, and unsure bite into it, likely hoping to not die. Then, he smiled gleefully and Pojcrire smiled back. No child, no matter the age, could resist a doughnut, she had learned that from Master Yoda a while back. She watched and waited patiently as the Kaleesh boy dug into his doughnut, eating it like it was the first piece of food he had gotten in months before he finally finished, letting out a small burp of satisfaction, and looked at her curiously. “What was that?” The Jedi smiled at him and took on a motherly tone.

“That was a doughnut, little one, and I am Jedi Consular Pojcrire.”

“Pojcriweh?” He struggled with her name but that was alright. Most couldn’t pronounce a standard Twi’lek name like hers on their first try.

“That was good enough dear. Who are you?”

“Q-Qymaen...Qymaen Jai Sheelal.”

“Well, Qymaen, how about you come with me and my friend back to the place we live in? On the way, I can tell you more about my order, why we’re here, and I can give you more doughnuts.” She gave the package a slight shake to show the youngling that she still had more and he immediately nodded at the opportunity. The Jedi stretched out her hand and nearly flinched at the sensation of reptilian scales and claws grasping it, but she kept her composure and gently pulled Qymaen out of the ditch. It was then she got a good look at him, at a living Kaleesh, even if he was young.

His skin was reddish-brown and covered in scales, while he had three fingers and an opposable thumb on both hands and five digit toed feet, each with their own menacing claws.Tusks protruded from his upper jaw and shorter ones from his chin. His ears were long and bat-like and he had long nostrils that stretched near his eyes, those golden eyes she had seen earlier. Finally, he had solid black hair that looked ragged and dirty, likely due to the ditch he had been hiding in. He was an interesting specimen, but he wasn’t one to study, no, she would make sure he was trained and cared for. She got up and outstretched her hand to hold, which he eagerly took. “Come now, Qymaen. We must be on our way.” And with a nod from the child, they walked away from the ditch, with the Jedi trusting the force to help them find their way to the transport they had took to arrive here.

Along the way, she explained to him the Jedi Order, the Force, and a great many other things and surprisingly enough, he took it quite well. From what little she had studied on their journey to the planet, the Kaleesh were a very honorable and combative people that saw that dying in battle as the best way for a warrior to go, so she supposed it made sense why he understood the idea of peacekeepers, a noble and just cause that Qymaen wholeheartedly supported. Even if he didn’t understand the midichlorians (which in all honesty almost nobody did). When she told him that he was force sensitive, Pojcrire had expected denial or for the child to call her insane, but instead his eyes glowed from honor and privilege upon hearing the knowledge that he was one of the lucky ‘few’ in the Galaxy that were force sensitive enough to become a Jedi and he told her how he eagerly awaited training to become one, saying that becoming a padawan and later a knight would be an honor that many of his people would never have imagined.

By the time they finally arrived at the shuttle, Master Yoda was standing outside, waiting patiently while meditating. He didn’t even open his eyes when the Twi’lek girl and Kaleesh child approached him. “Getting worried, I was. Feared you had perished to the local fauna, I had. Glad to see you’re ok, Consular Pojcrire, and excited to see the new friend you have made.” He opened his calm hazel eyes and looked at the Jedi Consular, patiently waiting for her to speak. When she didn’t, he decided to ask for himself. “Introduce me, will you?” He hummed and gave a small chuckle of her face of realization before the Twi’lek rubbed her shoulder anxiously while speaking.

“O-of course. Sorry about that, Master Yoda..” Shaking off her slight nervousness, she turned to the boy and nodded to the Grandmaster. “Qymaen, this is my friend, Grandmaster of the Jedi Order Yoda.” She smiled warmly as she spoke to the child before looking at Yoda and nodding at the boy. “Master Yoda, this is Qymaen jai Sheelal, the child that you saw in your visions.” The old master looked over the child carefully as they introduced, making Poj fear for a time that she had found the wrong child and it was someone else in the jungle they needed to find. But her fears lessened and left her as she saw the green master smile approvingly at the boy.

“Honored to meet you, I am, young Qymaen. Come, we all must return to the Jedi Temple at once.” He said as he walked onto the ramp in a hurry. Poj nodded and acknowledgement and moved to follow him, but half way up the ramp, she noticed the young child wasn’t following her. Turning around, she looked to see Qymaen staring at the ruined village regretfully and it was suddenly when Pojcrire realized that to him, this wasn’t just a village.

This was HIS home.

And the bodies were HIS family.

Minus the Yam’rii/Huk corpses strewn about.

Walking up to him, she placed a calming hand on the young one’s shoulder, causing him to flinch in fear and look up, only to calm himself upon seeing her, before staring back at the ruins of the village. She looked down at him, giving him a questioning but warm stare before speaking calmly to him. “Qymaen,” She began, much like a mother would begin in speaking to their child. The youngling looked at her calmly as she continued, “Why are you still standing here, youngling? You heard Master Yoda. It is time to go.” She raised a brow at the slight shake of his head. “Why are you unwilling to leave?” She asked and the youngling just gave a slight shake of his head in shame before speaking himself.

“If I leave...my village may be forgotten forever. My family and friends...their sacrifice will be forgotten. I would dishonor them all.” He said calmly and Pojcrire let out a soft sigh. She had to tell him to do the hardest thing a Jedi could ever do : Let go of all their attachments to the past.


“Qymaen, I know saying this may hurt for you in the present, but in order to be a Jedi, you must let go of the past, for holding onto it longer than necessary will only lead to shame, sorrow, anger, and later on, the darkness that threatens us all from within.” She had stolen the phrase from her former master during a teaching lesson of his and she didn’t think he would mind much. He was taking a slight interest in a young Togruta girl that had appeared recently at the temple from Shili. For the child in front of her, on the walk, she had only covered the basics for him about the force. There was just too much to speak about it in so little time and she assumed the Dark Side vs Light Side lesson can come on their journey to Coruscant as well as the youngling’s training for his initiate test.

The young Kaleesh nodded but looked at her with big round eyes that she surprisingly made him look cute. Today, she found young reptilian children cute. It wouldn’t be the first of many firsts from today. “Will I ever see Kalee again, Pojcriweh? Will I be able to help my people against the Huk?” Still unable to get her name right but she didn’t care much for that. The Consular nodded softly in response.

“One day, perhaps you will. This world will indeed need protecting from the Huk and once fully trained, I personally believed you will be unstoppable and can help your people.” It was true. Even though she was young and her connection to the force not quite strong yet, she could feel greatness in the youngling for his future. She then nudged him to the ship calmly. “Now come. It’s time we leave this planet for the temple.” Giving one last nod, the Kaleesh boy followed the order and walked up the ramp with the Jedi behind him. As the engines started, she gave a final fleeting glance to the jungle planet behind her before closing her eyes and giving a soft sigh before walking away to the cockpit as the ramp sealed shut. Unbeknownst to the three aboard the ship, Kalee would be a major part of Qymaen’s future. All of them had no idea how right and also how wrong Pojcrire would be.
And just like that, the First Chapter to my first ever Star Wars fic is finally finished at 6,490 words and a little under 12.5 pages on Google Docs. Keep in touch with this fic because I plan to write more once I get some extra ideas for what I hope to be a many saga story that eventually leads to a blossoming romance between a certain Kaleesh and Togrutta we all know and love (This one won't have anything beyond a grand friendship between them because they'll be Padawans and such, which is a little young for romances to blossom IMO). And yes, this is an AU. I actually have Chapter 2 written out and the first two chapters have already been published on AO3 if anyone is curious to see it. I'll just have CH1 Posted here so I can gauge interest. If I posted this in the wrong place, apologies, as I'm very new here, so feel free to place this were it belongs in your opinion and please give your honest thoughts.

Until next time, I'm GrievousTiFan643/Tigerdovefan34. Ciao!

 

49 BBY

Jedi Temple, Coruscant, Coruscant System​

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“Is that all you got, Shaak? This is too easy!” The young Kaleesh gloated as his green training lightsaber collided with the female Togruta’s blue one. It had been 7 years since the young Qymaen Jai Sheelal had been taken from his homeworld of Kalee and ever since, he had become a worthy student of both the Jedi and the Force, becoming one of the most expert younglings in the order thus far, with the only one coming even close being the young Togruta in front of him, Shaak Ti, who grit her teeth as her lightsaber blocked Qymaen’s.

“Truly, you are quite overconfident, Qy! Overconfident enough to leave yourself open to a counter attack.” The young Togrutta winked and the Kaleesh stared at her in confusion until suddenly, she slid her lightsaber off of his and then laid a singular burn on the Kaleesh’s leg, causing him to hiss out in pain.

This was the Jedi Youngling tournament, where Jedi Younglings would be giving their all to prove themselves to the Council so they could be given their initiate trials and become a master’s padawan. The tournament consisted of 32 younglings facing off one another in 1v1 matches until a winner was determined and currently, this was the final of the tournament. The Semifinals had been Qymaen against the promising 14 year old mirialan Luminara Unduli and Shaak Ti against the eight year old Obi-Wan Kenobi. The finalists had struggled in their matches, with Luminara scoring a burn against Qymaen, the first he had received in the Tournament, before Qymaen had simply overpowered her with sheer aggression and scored three burns on her, winning his duel. Meanwhile, Obi-Wan and Shaak’s duel was much closer, with both landing two burns on the other before Shaak Ti had figured out Obi-Wan’s strategy and used it against him, giving him a third burn and sending herself to the finals against Qymaen.

The Kaleesh and Togruta had somewhat of a friendly rivalry ever since Qymaen had arrived at the temple, always trying to one up the other. One was passive and wise in their lightsaber training, the other aggressive and brash. One patient and calm, the other unruly and excited. Together, they were the perfect counterbalance to each other, the example of an unstoppable force meeting an immovable object.

And Shaak Ti had landed the first burn.

The two circled each other, looking for an opening they could use as Qymaen adopted his Niman stance, one he had used to favor greatly in combat, while Shaak developed her Makashi stance, one she had used to easily exhaust the energy of her opponents from earlier rounds. But Qymaen was not a natural opponent. The Kaleesh believed combat was a great virtue and that the best defense was always a great offense. Even at the age of 5, young Qymaen had learned that from his birth mother from before the raid of his village and he used it to his advantage, using his mighty strength and prowess in lightsaber dueling to break his opponent’s defenses and burn them quickly. Yet, here was Shaak Ti, a woman who for all intents and purposes was able to successfully parry off his attacks and return with her own. Almost never had Qymaen been put on the defensive. ANd yet, he enjoyed it.

Suddenly, Qymaen charged at the Togruta again and aimed above his head to strike and Shaak prepared herself for the blow. At the last second, however, Qymaen jumped over her and, with one fluid motion, laid a long burn on the Togruta’s back. Giving a groan of pain, she turned around and saw him with his reptilian lips curled in a smirk. “Always expect that which is unexpected.” He reminded before returning to his stance as Shaak readied for another assault of his. “Don’t tell me you forgot Master Yoda’s lessons.” He teased and the two were right back at it, lightsabers clashing and gliding in the air as both combatants fought with both grace and skill. So amazing was their dueling that their audience, filled with Padawans, Knights, and Consulars, couldn’t help but be awestruck at how gracefully the two danced while dueling, seeming as if they were the perfect match for the other. Qymaen went for another burn, aiming at Shaak’s waist, only for the Togruta to spin out of the way and move to strike the Kaleesh in the back, before he rolled away and blocked a strike aimed at his shoulder.

They were the perfect opponents for the other and no one could say otherwise.

Among the audience, which included Master Yoda, was Jedi Consular Pojcrire, the Twi’lek who had accompanied Master Yoda in the discovery of the young Qymaen 7 years prior. No longer was she the young and naive 27 year old who know little to nothing about the galaxy around her. Now, she was a hardened 34 year old and had been on several missions on her own right with various masters, such as her old one, Councillor Dolu Neesmech, as well as Masters Yarael Poof and Plo Koon, and the Jedi Knight Qui-Gon Jinn. In that time, she had learned a great many things, including that while the force was a great tool, it wasn’t as useful or handy as a lightsaber always was. Thus, her dual bladed lightsaber was always kept close at hand, just in case diplomacy failed.

And now, here she was, watching the Tournament final between two astounding younglings, both of which had proven themselves worthy of a master despite it only being 7 minutes into their duel. She had to admit, while she enjoyed seeing how far Qymaen had come since his time as a scared little boy from a backwater planet, she also enjoyed watching a togruta 2 years his junior be able to keep up with him.

She had been expected to take an apprentice for years now. After all, a consular usually chose their padawan before a tournament through the force so the youngling wouldn’t be humiliated. However, she didn’t know why, but this single time, she felt like she couldn’t choose a padawan until the tournament, It was just a feeling she got, though she didn’t fully understand it. “The force works in mysterious ways, after all.” She mused to herself before giving a slight chuckle and shaking her head humorously. She returned her attention to the duel between younglings just in time to hear Qymaen cry out in pain.

Looking down, she saw what had happened. Qymaen, tired of the dodges and near misses, had ducked under one of Shaak’s strikes and aimed for her waist again while kneeling only for the Togruta to do a sideways spin over the lightsaber at the last second before slashing his ankle, giving him his second burn, which was a first in the tournament. It seemed that Shaak Ti wasn’t just Qymaen’s younger match, she was also his equal in combat, something the Twi’lek hadn’t expected.

Shaak Ti was always a good listener and a good student but an expert in training for most of her time, she had not been. While good at deflecting and absorbing blaster fire, in a duel, she was always the weakest, meaning she had greatly improved in her abilities since the last time Poj had seen her, which, admittedly, had been quite a while. She always more focused on Qymaen’s training then the other younglings.

She hated to admit it, but she saw the Kaleesh as her foster son, always taking him on walks whenever his classes were dismissed and she wasn’t out on a mission. The two would just go to the stores of the city planet coruscant and purchase a few Chocolate Jelly Filled Doughnut holes to eat while they caught up on what had been going on. The twi’lek always liked their talks quite a bit as she got to glance into the world that the Kaleesh had been trust in rather forcefully. He didn’t mind it too much, in fact, he enjoyed learning under Master Yoda in his classes, since he always learned a new skill or idea that he believed he could improve upon and while with every update he said he hadn’t made too much of an improvement, he still had that optimism that made her smile.

Qymaen had made a habit of making her smile, even if it was against her will. And it was...nice.

The sound of footsteps approaching made her turn to her left and look down to see Master Yoda standing there, watchung the fight in silence, musing to himself and rubbing his chin patiently as he took in the combat before his eyes. Grandmaster Yoda already had an apprentice, Mace Windu of Haruun Kal, but she assumed he was watching the final for a purpose. Her attention was grabbed as Shaak Ti let out a cry of pain and she saw a burn on her right elbow. She had went for a sideways slash, which Qymaen had dodged excellently, and then for an upwards strike only for the Kaleesh youngling to jump out of the way and slash at her elbow with his training lightsaber. So now it was 2 for 2 and the next burn would determine the winner and runner-up of the tournament. A very close fight and an intense one that begged for one’s attention to be kept.

The two younglings clashed their sabers and held them in place as they looked at each other and spoke. Pojcrire couldn’t hear what they were saying but she assumed they were taunting the other, as she had seen the two do such things before while practicing and training in Yoda’s class. SHe had a feeling the two would grow to be close one day, closer than most. Master Yoda had told her that in the vision he saw many years ago, he had seen a Togruta female fighting with Qymaen against the Yam’rii many years from now and while at the time she had no clue who it was, now she had a feeling that the Kaleesh’s companion was none other than his current opponent. And, if she assumed correctly and watched the two from a distance from the future, they would become far more.

She gave out a soft sigh. Many Jedi had fallen to the Dark Side due to their love for the others. That’s why love was outlawed by the council many years ago, but it was an emotion that felt just as natural as any other. She could only hope both youngling’s futures remained bright and stayed with the Light Side and nothing tragic happened to the two. A yell from Shaak caused the Twi’lek to look back at the fight and see a burn on her stomach, meaning that Qymaen had won the tournament. She assumed he did a simple spin and slash to finally defeat his opponent, a move that was easy to learn but difficult to predict when in the heat of a battle. The Kaleesh deactivated his lightsaber and offered his hand, which the Togruta gratefully accepted and the two shook before bowing to one another and walking away as the audience clapped at the performance. It was at that moment that Poj felt proud of her foster son. Now he could become something the force had seen fit to make him : A Jedi. She heard a hum and looked to see Master Yoda still standing there, smiling.

“Strong, both of them are.” The Consular found herself nodding in approval. Both had proven themselves worthy and so had Obi-Wan and Luminara for their fantastic performances. All of them were great choices for Padawans. “Qymaen, especially. Aggressive, yet wise, he is.” The small being looked at her with his wide eyes. “Their padawan, many want him to be.” He stated simply and she smiled. The Kaleesh had indeed made a name for himself in the seven years of being here and she wouldn’t be surprised if half the temple wanted to train him. “Want him the most, four do.” She couldn’t stop herself from asking who, her simple curiosity. “Masters Poof, Koon, and Neesmech as well as Knight Dooku.” He told her and the Twi’lek widened her eyes. Three of the council members and Yoda’s own former apprentice wanted to train the Kaleesh boy? She respected Poof, Koon, and Dooku (no matter how many creeps the latter gave her. He just didn’t seem all there when near other species), but Master Neesmech, her former Master, she didn’t want to train him. He was too strict, too cruel. She remembered all the assignments he gave her if she didn’t do something correctly the first, second, or third time. They weren’t too bad, but still extremely humiliating nonetheless. Yoda sensed her apprehension and gave a small smile. “Do not worry. Rejected them all, I have. The next apprentice for master Neesmech, chosen by the force she has been. However, standing right in front of me, Qymaen’s master is.” Pojcrire’s eyes widened upon hearing that. She was to be Qymaen’s master?

“Master, I-I don’t know what to say…” She was stunned. SHe hadn’t expected an apprentice this soon but the Master simply shook his head and gave a small laugh before looking at her.

“Remember the vision I spoke about upon finding Qymaen, you do? To be his master, the force told me you are.” She nodded and noticed that the crowd was clearing out as the winner, runner-up, and semi-finalists were now walking forward at the beckoning of Master Yaddle. She then heard the footsteps of Master Yoda walking away from her and turned to see him heading to the Council chambers. “Given the initiate trials, they will be. Will tell you of their success upon the end, I will.” and with that, Pojcrire was left in silence. She walked over to her the Archives and read up on the Kaleesh or at least, the little information the Jedi had of them in the Archives. As it turned out, the Kaleesh had fought for both sides during the Sith Wars thousands of years ago, being both Jedi and Sith and had been renowned for their abilities on and off the battlefield. All Kaleesh warriors were naturally aggressive and combative, making them perfect Guardians and foot soldiers for both sides in the war.

She had also learned that the Kaleesh valued freedom above anything else and were still in their desperate struggle against the Huk to keep them off of their world for good and currently, they seemed to be in a stalemate with the bugs. As for the Kaleesh themselves, besides learning of their connection with Mumuu skulls that they believed brought them luck in battle, she had not much else to learn about them, so she spent her time on learning how to correctly mentor a padawan and the most efficient ways of doing so and while the lessons boiled down to basically ‘Do it your own way’, she had learned patience and understanding came a long way. For hours, she sat in the archives and studied, trying to pick up all the methods of the masters of old and from some of the newer ones as well, planning to be the best master possible to the young Qymaen that she barely heard Master Yoda’s arrival. Upon noticing it, she stood at attention and bowed in respect before asking, “How was it, Master?” Yoda turned around and for a brief second, Pojcrire had believed that, after years of practice, Qymaen had failed the trials, before,

“Pass, all four did.” The twi’lek let out the breath she didn’t know she was holding in relief. For a second, Master Yoda had made her believe that Qymaen, despite putting in so much effort in the last seven years while training and even winning the tournament against some stiff competition, had failed and would be sent away along with the other 3 students.

“Master, forgive me if I seem rude, but please don’t do that again. You nearly gave me a heart attack.” Yoda softly chuckled while turning around.

“Of course, apologies are in order, it seems.” He said as he faced her, smiling humorously

“So, who are the masters of the other three?” He raised his eyebrow at confusion at her, pressing her to explain the question. “I mean, who are the masters of Obi-Wan, Shaak, and Luminara? I already know who Qymaen’s master will be but as for the others, I do not.” The Grandmaster of the Order smiled gently before speaking.

“Taken in by Qui-Gon Jinn, Young Obi-wan Kenobi has.” A firm and solid master, if rather unconventional, who was very in tune with the force. A good pick for someone like Obi-wan from what she had seen. “Chosen Luminara, Guardian Shobe has.” Jedi Guardian Shobe was a fellow Mirialan and had been trained by her master, in fact, he was Neesmech’s first apprentice before her, which broke the usual tradition of Mirialan Jedi training Mirialan Padawans. However, Guardian Shobe had proven himself quite capable, even in his 50s, having even stopped a coup attempt on Naboo many years ago, when she was just eight, on his own. An excellent master for Luminara, the twi'lek hummed to herself. The Force couldn’t have chosen better. “And Master Neesmech, taken in Shaak Ti, he has.” She froze at that. Yes, Neesmech was a strong and capable Jedi well despite being 78, yes he was perhaps one of the best Jedi the Galaxy, knowing a wide variety of combat skills and being a master of forms II, III, IV, and VI, which made him the perfect master for a youngling as skilled with combat and the force as Shaak Ti, but as she had thought numerous times in the past, he wasn’t the most forgiving of masters and expected too much only to be given so little. Maybe it had something to do with how his own master, A Gran known as Guardian Ups Jee who was very strict and quite literally one of the most angry masters in Jedi history from what she had read and, as it turned out, when Poj was two and about to be sold into slavery, Neesmech and Shobe, who was still his padawan at the time, had to stop Jee, who had become a Dark Jedi, from attempting to enslave Shilli for his own personal benefit, which probably assisted in how distant the councillor was nowadays. In the end, Jee was killed and the Togrutta freed, but at the cost of a great warrior for the Jedi.

“Understand your concern for Young Shaak Ti, I do, but trust in the force, we must.” The twi’lek nodded and looked around, curious to find her own padawan.

“Where is-?” She was cut off as she heard running and panting to the Archives and looked to see Qymaen jai Sheelal entering the library with what equated to reptilian sweat dripping down his face. She looked to his hip and saw a curved dueling lightsaber attached, meaning he had crafted his own Padawan saber. ‘Speak of the devil and he shall appear.’ SHe thought amusingly.

“Master Yoda, sorry it took me so long to get here. I was just congratulating Luminara, Obi-wan, and Shaak Ti on their padawanships and their new masters, but I’m here now.” He noticed the Twi’lek and bowed graciously. “Hello, Master Pojcrire. How are you today?” It had taken him a few weeks after arriving at the temple, but he had finally been able to say her name correctly. That was a happy day for them both, even if it was a muted one. She smiled and looked at the boy happily.

“I’ve been doing great, Qymaen. Congratulations are in order for your new padawanship and your stunning victory in the Tournament. Very good job.” He shrugged.

“I don’t know. For a minute, Shaak really had me there. She deserves more praise than me for her excellent performance in the final duel against me.” Then he turned to Master Yoda. “Master, you told me to meet you here. Is there a reason why?” Master Yoda simply nodded and looked at the boy warmly.

“Said your new master would be here, I did. Standing right in front of you, she is.” The kaleesh paused at that statement and pointed to Pojcrire with a questioning face and the twi’lek simply nodded in confirmation, which caused the Kaleesh to bow.

“Master Pojcrire, I am honored to be your student. I hope to be one of the best in the order’s history and I hope to make you proud.” The Twi’lek simply smiled and hummed in approval before speaking herself.

“Oh, Qymaen. You have already made me proud in so many ways. I recommend you rest up, for I assume that Tournament and the trials were very tiring for you. Tomorrow, your training officially begins.” And with that, the Kaleesh nodded and left after giving a final respectful bow, heading to the Padawan quarters. Pojcrire gave a soft sigh before looking at Master Yoda thankfully. “Thank you, Master Yoda. I hope to make him a fine warrior one day.”

“A fine warrior, he already is. Greater, he shall become under you.” Said the master simply and with that, the day was over and everyone had agreed that it was time for rest. There would be plenty to do tomorrow.
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And that ends CH 2 of the First Installment of the Jedi Qymaen Saga. The next 3-4 chapters will be basic Padawan training and then we will see both a special arc on Rodia that will determine the future of both Shaak and Qymaen in 36 BBY after 13 years of training under their masters after this chapter. As for now, Favorites and Reviews are much Appreciated. Until next time, Ciao!

Also, feel free to suggest ideas for the next few chapters, cause I got nothing. All credit will go to the suggester at the start of the chapter.