JEDI HoloNet

One did not rap on the large, ornate doors of the study that belonged to Sarvayus Pentari without good reason. Even if one was his child. This passed through his mind as young Oberon Pentari struck the well carved wooden base. If only he could reach the knocker. He lamented and just as he through he would hit his knuckles raw an intimidating voice came from behind the formidable barrier.

“Come in.”

Great, Oberon though with a sigh, he sounds annoyed. Nevertheless it was important this time around and he nodded off his little sister. There was no way her moral support would help him once inside the study. He leaned against the door, having to use his weight to make the monstrosity budge. Once open he stood, as if he were a soldier at attention, in the threshold.

“What is it?” His father snapped without even looking up. “Speak!”

He was busy, and Oberon made the mistake of wasting his time by glancing around at the mess. Overturned books, papers, and half eaten meals cluttered most of the table space, long unoccupied chairs, and floor.

“Yes, Father, sorry! Some guys want to talk to you.”

“Well, send them in. Tell them it better be important.”

Oberon ducked back into the hall and nodded and the two robed men that stood patiently and with a calm you could almost fall in to. He had already met the younger one in the Market, the one who insisted that the older of the two meet him, and after the stranger did he insisted on a visit to his only remaining parent. There was something about the senior of the two, something about his presence. Catching himself staring, the boy averted his eyes toward the floor as the tall man walked past him into the study. The door came to a shut behind him without further words. His embarrassment was assuaged by the comforting hand of the younger man. What did he say he was? A Jedi student?

“Why don’t you introduce me to your sister?”

Oberon nodded and they made their way down the hall while the two, who occupied the study made arrangements about the boy’s future.

***

Though the first leg of their journey was uneventful and Bastion proved to be a totally different world to the child. Though the Enclave was peaceful and full of friendly and knowledgeable Students of the Force, the world around it was dried and expansive. The closest it came to the jungles at home was an old Imperial scrapyard he often stole away to with another students for frivolous searches for trinkets or spare parts, mostly to escape the trapping walls of the enclave. Oberon missed elements of his past, but caring mentors that willingly listened to the students compared to father that barely wished to acknowledge his existence was a trade the boy appreciated. The newfound peace was brief. As if the dry ground was calling out for additional scorching it wasn’t long before the fires of war reached the planet’s surface. The combat and bad news seemed far away, coming only in the form of solemn HoloNews reports, but the turbolaser bombardment felt all too close as it raked the ground turning defensive positions into a series of smoking craters.

The Jedi Knights that had charged themselves with the training of the new students parted with them to be included in the effort to defend the planet on which the enclave stood. Oberon, being too young to accompany his mentors to battle, had no choice but to climb aboard the evacuation ship with the others. It was saddening for the boy to part ways with the once peaceful home he had come to love, but the prospect of beginning his training anew in such a stunningly large metropolis quickly dissipated the solemnity of the Knight’s call to duty. Besides, there was nothing the displaced boy could do about it now. The evacuation craft knifed it’s way through the smoky atmosphere and broke orbit intact. Hyperspace. The fastest a spacefaring vessel could go and yet the journey was still long and tortured with memories and thoughts of Bastion.

Training on Coruscant was relatively similar to Bastion in its regime. The novelty of the big city and being in the “heart of the Alliance” quickly wore off, especially since students were normally only able to view it through the routinely scrubbed transparisteel screens. Over time what little friends Oberon gained had slipped away as they were selected by various mentors as apprentices. Jedi Knights that Oberon had spoken with extensively and hoped would have chosen him. Unwittingly he felt a sense of betrayal, though his reasonable side knew that his fellow students had nothing to do with it.

His studies faltered, his hand less motivated. His sixteenth birthday was something he would prefer to shrug off, his peers had all been selected by a Knight for training at this point and all he was left with was a slip of paper on his bunk. Transfer orders? Perhaps it could mean the end of his career as a Student of the Force, or perhaps a new beginning at a place more suited for him. He didn’t care much the oppression of the towering skyscrapers that made up the planetary surface. Learning about the Force made him feel… sometimes small, but the metallic monsters were something different. Something he couldn’t quite place.

He carried these thoughts with him, ruminating his way onto the lift that would take him straight up onto the High Council’s floor of the Central Tower. Giving a tug to the end of his garb in vain effort to smooth out wrinkles that were common to clothes worn by students, he waited for the door to slide open and reveal his destiny.