"Immorri. Wake. Up."

My hands tug at fistfuls of soft Wookiee fur, trying to pull my roommate awake.

If Immorri has a weakness, it is the fact that she can sleep through an entire space battle if one ever happens.

PLAM!

The door flings open, crashing against the wall with much fanfare. Kela and Lee-Ara dash in, roughspun robes hurriedly thrown on top of their tunics.

"IMMORRI!" Lee-Ara hands her spare robe to me before vaulting onto Immorri's bed. "We are going to be late!"

"The Masters will not be pleased with us for tardiness." Kela pins on her silka-bead Padawan braid. She frowns and turns to the slumbering Immorri, sensing something. "Somebody is having a pleasant dream."

"Pleasant dreams?" Lee-Ara smirks, her hand sweeping into the air. My water cantina floats towards her from the ground. Unscrewing it, she tips the cantina over onto Immorri's sleeping form.

"AAARARRRGWWWH!"

Kela cracks a smile at the Wookiee growl. "Welcome back to the Jedi Temple on Coruscant, young Padawan."

"That is what we will stay as if we do not hurry. Even Master Obi-Wan Kenobi nearly did not get his own Master when he was a Padawan." I say, smoothing out my borrowed robe.

Immorri groans in Wookiee again before switching to Galactic Basic, now half-awake. "But he did get apprenticed in the end."

I fold my arms and direct my gaze at her, willing my trademark discomfort to smother Immorri. "Let's see how you fare in finding your own Master when you get sent to Bandomeer's mines. Not everyone can be as lucky as Master Obi-Wan Kenobi."

Immorri growls again and turns to the side.

Lee-Ara sighs in mock reluctance. "Immorri, there seems to be a lot more water in here, you know." She shakes the container hard, causing the water inside to splash menacingly.

"No!" Immorri flings out a furry arm. "I am awake."

☆☆☆

"Master Alva Zelzash, your Jedi apprentice will be..."

Lee-Ara pushes the door open to the Council room, her persuasion clouding the area to assist us in entering unnoticed. The rest of us follow, using her as the shield.

I notice that the Jedi Masters, both seasoned and newly-appointed, stand on one side of the Council while the Jedi Padawans stand on the other. Both crowds are proudly clad in brown robes, with lightsaber hilts at their waists. I nudge Lee-Ara towards the small crowd of Padawans.

We scurry into the crowd when the Tholothian Jedi Master Alva Zelzash steps forward to have her apprentice assigned.

"...Haris Azman Radulan."

Haris strides up to meet his Master, face impassive and emotionless as is expected of him, though the light in his eyes brightens.

Lee-Ara pokes me. "Coincidence indeed. You arrive just in time to see him assigned."

My forehead creases in worry. "If they have already begun, what if our names have already been called and we have missed it?"

Lee-Ara shrugs. "The Force tells me they are going alphabetically."

Kela raises an eyebrow. "The Force?"

Lee-Ara nods, grinning. "The Force, the power of assumption, and wishful thinking."

Master Plo Koon clears his throat to silence the tittering, presumably ours. Master Ki-Adi-Mundi's eyes flash a warning in our direction, specifically on Immorri. Master Plo Koon continues.

"Master Cep'souza Idrall, your apprentice will be Arhan Drexox."

Haris's Zabrak friend steps forward to exchange formalities with the Twi'lek who had escorted us to Ilum for our crystals.

"But I did not even say anything," Immorri protests in a whisper.

"Master Hanzik Phily, your apprentice shall be Immorri Grahbal."

I smile as Immorri holds her grin and excitement to meet her Togrutan Master.

"Master Nituth Giwol, your Jedi apprentice will be Joelle Su."

I wait for my new Master to step out of the crowd first. When she does, I have to suppress a gasp as I see the decorative veil on her face.

A Miraluka?

I school my features to rest, fighting hard with my instincts to jump in the air and squeal as I calmly walk towards my Master.

Miralukas are especially gifted in lightsaber combat due to their interdependence on the Force to sense everything around them, since they are not born with eyes. To be apprenticed to one... ahhhhh!

I halt in front of her, bowing my head. "Greetings, Master."

Master Nituth Giwol inclines her head towards me, her face lacking in expression. "Word around is that you are the only one who has not completed her lightsaber. We will be doing plenty of training with one, I assure you."

I keep my head down. "I succeeded in making mine, only that the energy modulation circuits were out of stock. I will complete it today, Master."

Master Giwol extends a hand and grasps my shoulder. "Without any further delays, I pray. May the Force be with you."

With that, she steps back into her crowd. I mirror her, returning to my clan.

Immorri gapes at me. "No way," she says in awe.

"She is already the best at hand-to-combat. Now that her Master is a Miraluka, we will have to be careful what we say around her, won't we, Kela?" Lee-Ara elbows Kela, grinning, but Kela is completely focused on Master Plo Koon.

"Master Quinbail Malhyle, your apprentice will be Kela Sashrel."

I hear Kela inhale as she emerges out of the crowd, walking towards her human Master. Her hand reaches for the completed lightsaber hilt at her hip, fingers poring over it, and I know that she is not satisfied with her lightsaber construction yet.

Hopefully Master Quinbail Malhyle will understand her predicament.

"Master Regra Varo, your Jedi apprentice will be Lee-Ara Swenwind."

Lee-Ara sweeps to the centre of the floor, meeting her Zabrak Master halfway there. Her face is stony, but the little tilt of her chin conveys slight confidence, as if daring to be challenged. She exchanges common pleasantries with him and returns, her expression now glowing with devilry.

"Who wants to bet that Master Quinbail Malhyle will develop feelings for Kela after she becomes a Knight?"

☆☆☆

I sit at the worktable in the Jedi Temple's lightsaber crafting facility, fully composed. The tools are laid out in front of me, including the elusive energy modulation circuits. I centre my attention on the circuits, referring to the holographic diagram up front.

These circuits are so tiny. No wonder I missed them the first time.

Spreading my arms out, I suspend all the partially-assembled parts at eye-level. I gently coax each piece into position next to their supposed neighbours.

A little more to the left, that's it...

Once the parts are aligned as they should be, I inhale and let go of my surroundings, directing everything into one single move. In one sweep, I bring my hands together, and all the pieces fall forward, connecting and clicking into place.

I close my eyes and feel inside the hilt for any glitches, the Force washing over its interior, making sure that everything is where it should be.

A tweak here, and... done.

I pull the hilt into my hand and freeze.

Someone is here.

I can feel the unmistakable swishes of air, of someone behind me. The familar but unwelcome feeling is back. My chest tightens, I find it hard to swallow, and I am overcome with an almost irresistable desire to smile.

Do not react. Not yet.

Instead, I subtly edge myself to the side as I sense the person approach, pretending to be distracted by my lightsaber hilt. I move the hilt closer and extend my thumb above the button. The sneak creeps up behind me.

Now.

My thumb presses down, and a blade of green laser flashes to attention, only a hair's breadth away from scorching the intruder. I look up to face him, triumphant.

"Mat Kucing. What a coincidence."

Haris's expression is paralyzed in shock, eyes wide and locked on mine. He does not dare to move; one kiss of the blade and his face is done for.

"Sneaking up on one with a lightsaber is never a good move," I say, tapping on the button to retract the blade. Haris relaxes, but his hackles rise as I point the hilt at him. "Shouldn't you be with Master Alva Zelzash?"

Haris smiles, dimpling. "You came right on time this morning. Master said that my training begins tomorrow, so I could have the day off."

I turn back to the worktable, running my fingers over my smooth hilt. "And you chose to come here."

"I am supposed to be revising Coruscant's, geography and how Naboo's moisture keeps, its inhabitants youthful with Arhan," Haris admits, uncomfortably swinging an arm over the worktable's back support. "But he wanted to, self-study."

The fact that I have probably traumatized him with that lightsaber-scare makes me bolder. I wave my lightsaber hilt in the air, causing him to flinch. "You are not worried that I might report you to Master Alva Zelzash that you are slacking off?"

Haris raises both eyebrows and throws me a look. "You do that, Wildcat, and I will tell Master Nituth Giwol that, you let your guard down and I was able, to sneak up on you." 

I eye him. I throw my lightsaber arm into an arc, my thumb still on the button. I dare not unleash the laser, but it scares Haris all the same. He jumps back with a feline yowl, fingers poised into claws.

Instead of laughing at the sight, I narrow my gaze at him. "It is either that you like cats so much you started acting like one or that you really are one. Which?"

Haris drops his hands to his sides, his features forced into the blank cover we were all trained in. "I have three cats at home. Tompok, Comel, and Belang."

"That is not an answer."

Haris's pupils move to scan my face, and I reflexively relax my frown, but the wariness in my eyes I keep. "What?"

"You will not let me leave until I tell you, will you?" Amusement circles his expression.

I stare back at him, blinking.

He chuckles. Haris motions towards the worktable's long seat. "Scoot."

I do, and he slides in beside me.

"It's a bit hard, to explain. Where should I begin?"

A/N: Star Paws is way behind on updates compared to Ineffable, but let's look at the bright side: they're all apprenticed now! Now for the pictures:

Master Alva Zelzash (Tholothian):

Master Nituth Giwol (Miraluka):

Master Regra Varo (Zabrak):

For Master Cep'souza Idrall (Twi'lek), Master Hanzik Phily (Togruta) and Master Quinbail Malhyle (Human), I did not include images because their species has already been face-revealed in the previous parts.

Next up, Joelle's Miralukan training and Haris's reveal.

- Scarlet