Star Wars Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy A Fan Novelization

Chapter One - The Yavin Forest

"We'll be arriving at the Academy in just a few minutes," First Officer Bradley Nuss, a crewman aboard the shuttle The Yavin Runner II, called back to its eight passengers. They'd just picked up their last student on Coruscant and were finally headed back to the Jedi Academy on Yavin IV. They were ahead of schedule and everyone aboard, especially the passengers, were giddy with excitement.

Luke Skywalker had started the Academy a little over three years ago, about seven years after the Battle of Endor and the destruction of the Second Death Star. He'd set about finding those who were sensitive with the power of the Force. And now, young and old were being discovered across the galaxy and brought to the Academy to foster their unique gifts in a safe and secure environment.

Rows of seats lined the passenger area, barely a third of them filled, giving the Academy's newest students room to spread out. Most of them, save one, were around the same age, from their early teens to early twenties. Some rested with their backs to the wall, chins dropped on their chests, exhausted from their journey. Others chatted excitedly with each other about what they hoped to do at the Academy, especially what kind of lightsaber they would build.

"That would be so great!" Rosh Penin called up to Nuss. Out of everyone he felt he was the most excited about getting the chance to attend Skywalker's Jedi Academy. He sat leisurely in his seat, having the whole row to himself. After chatting up nearly everyone around him, his seat neighbors had expressed their need to get some rest. One by one they moved away from the boy, using excuses that the seats were just not comfortable enough to sleep on. But Rosh didn't think so. He had tried all of the seats after the other students left and they felt perfectly fine. No matter, he'd needed some time to think by himself anyway, there would be time for making friends later. However...

Rosh spotted a girl about his age, probably eighteen or nineteen, seated on the row across the aisle from him. In all the busyness of chatting with other students when they were docked at Coruscant, he'd hardly noticed the quiet new passenger. Now that he was alone he got a better look at her. She had fair skin with grayish blonde hair pulled into a ponytail. There was a simple loveliness about her that was hard to describe. Rosh grinned to himself as he slid over onto the seat next to her.

"Aren't you excited? We're going to be Jedi! Learning the ways of the Force, building a lightsaber..." He suddenly noticed something sitting against her gray pant leg on the edge of her seat. He knew by the shape what it was. It looked to be a custom design, from the dark blue and copper carved handgrip to the salvaged pommel and activator switch. He peeled his eyes off the object, realizing that he'd been staring, and looked her in the face again.

"...Ah, of course, you already have one. I'm gonna get one of those stupid training sabers and then..."

"I wouldn't worry about that," the girl said, looking at him for the first time, a shy smile gracing her lips. Rosh noticed she had hazel eyes. He dropped his gaze, blushing.

"I can't help it. I want to make a good impression when I arrive. And showing up with your own lightsaber is definitely a way to do that."

"You sure seem really nervous about it," she observed. She glanced sidelong at his simple black pants and reddish orange garb that hung from his slight frame, sand colored wrappings covering his arms as well as cinching in his waist where a black utility belt secured it in place. There was something kind of boyishly charming about his short spiked raven black hair that faded on the sides of his head. And his brown eyes... As slightly annoyed as she was for having her peaceful quiet interrupted, she couldn't help feeling sorry for him. She'd noticed when the other students politely moved away from him.

"Aren't you?" Rosh asked. "I mean, well, why would you be? You already have a lightsaber so you're probably way ahead of me and all I have is a blaster..." He paused, suddenly realizing something. "I'm Rosh by the way." The girl didn't answer, she seemed like she'd tuned out or was staring into space. Figuratively. "Um... what's your name?"