"Block! Dodge! Counterattack!"

Sean listened to Mark bark commands at him from his right side as he faced his friend Robin to practice lightsaber since they were bored.

Even though Sean was a Jedi Knight, he wanted more practice to keep his skills sharp.

Sean executed Mark's orders swiftly, his counterattack catching Robin off guard and causing him to stumble back slightly in surprise before quickly rebalancing himself, tightening his grip on the hilt of his ocean blue lightsaber.

The sound of their blades clashing together echoed around the spacious outdoor training room before fading into a soft humming.

"Why are you giving him help and not me?" Robin panted wearily, pretending to complain. In reality, Sean could tell he was glad he wasn't being bossed around.

His master PJ Liguori was a bit strict, but gentle and forgiving.

Sean's master Felix however was completely strict, although every once in awhile he would catch him acting like a child when he thought no one was looking.

Mark's master Arin was notoriously known for being happy most of the time, but also easily angered, which made training with him difficult if you messed up too much.

"Let's take a break, you guys have been fighting for-"

Mark paused and retrieved his holoprojector from the pocket of his black tunic, briefly checking the time before sticking it back.

"Four hours." Mark finished, handing each of them a bottle of water as they trudged over towards him and flopped down on the cool mossy stone floor, the morning dew from it soaking through their tunics.

It was late in the day, the two moons barely hovering above them as nearby creatures stirred, presumably searching for food.

"Where...would you guys....go if we could leave here?" Sean panted in between gulps of water.

It was a topic they always thought about since they rarely got to go out on missions.

"I'm hoping Endor, I've never been, but it sounds beautiful!" Mark admitted as he sat down on the floor in between Robin and Sean.

"I like the idea of Naboo." Robin shrugged.

"I'd probably have to agree with Mark about going to Endor, especially since I heard that the natives look like teddy bears." Sean chuckled, using the force to dump his empty water bottle into the trash can.

"Mark!"

The three Jedi Knights turned around to find Mark's master Arin standing in the stone archway, his hands clasped behind his back.

"Master Hansen." The three hastily stood up and bowed.

"Mark and Sean, you two have been summoned by the council." Arin continued before turning on the heel of his brown combat boots and leaving.

"Good luck." Robin gave Sean a high five and Mark a wave goodbye as they left him alone in the training room.

Together Sean and Mark quickly walked down the polished halls of the Yavin Jedi Temple towards the highest spire of the Temple where the council sat, Mark's black tunic and Sean's light brown tunic fluttering behind them with the sound of their combat boots clicking against the stone floor echoing around them as they passed fellow Jedi that nodded in acknowledgment when they passed.

"Come in." A voice instructed before they even knocked on the door.

They entered to find the council that consisted of Masters Felix Kjelberg, Arin Hansen, Dan Avidan, Brian Wecht, Matthew Fredrick, PJ Liguori, and Nathan Sharp sitting in chairs that formed a large circle that took up almost all of the space in the room.

"I've called you two in here to promote you as Jedi Masters." Master Kjelberg spoke up, clasping his hands together in his lap.

"Really?!" Sean exclaimed in surprise before remembering to keep his composure calm.

"Yes really." Master Avidan smirked slightly at him.

"However, we have to skip the formalities for now since there are pressing matters we need you two to take care of." Master Wecht interjected.

"We've heard word of another Jedi base on Courascant, we need you both to scout it out and make an alliance with them if possible." Master Sharp chimed in.

"You each have one day to prepare. You may take whatever you need for your journey, it will be a long one." Master Liguori added.

"What about Robin?" Sean blurted.

"Masters." Sean hastily added in a mumble as he bowed again.

"We believe he's not ready yet, he's too...rash and not trained enough yet." Master Fredrick spoke slowly, considering how to word his thoughts carefully.

Sean could tell that Master Liguori wasn't entirely onboard with the council's decision, but he didn't argue either.

"Mark, a word." Master Hansen instructed as he stood up, waking out of the room with a worried Mark in tow.

"I'm so proud of you, you've made astounding progress in the few years I've known you." Arin clapped a hand on Mark's shoulder.

"I want you to take this." Arin handed Mark a string of beads, one of them looking a lot like a smiling hamburger.

"This was my Padawan braid years ago, and I want you to have it to remember me by as you train your own Padawan one day." Arin smiled sadly.

"Thank you master." Mark whispered, sticking the braid in the breast pocket of his tunic.

"I'm no longer your master." Arin reminded Mark gently.

"Thank you...Arin." Mark tested the name out on his tongue.

It felt and sounded foreign when he said it, but he'd have to get used to it.

He was a part of the Jedi Council now.

"Any reason why you have a burger bead on your braid?" Mark asked with a smirk.

"My friend Dan made it for me when we were Padawans together. Brian helped make one for Dan too." Arin explained, smiling fondly.

"You are free to leave." Felix dismissed them with a wave once Arin and Mark re-entered the room.

"Sean." Felix spoke sternly once everyone left the room, leaving the two alone.

"Yes Mas-Felix?" Sean corrected himself.

"Be careful when you go, I've heard rumors of Sith revealing themselves." Felix warned him in a quiet tone.

"I will be, I promise." Sean assured Felix with a nod, turning towards the door.

"And Sean?"

Sean turned back around halfway to the door.

"I've always thought of you as a son, and I want you to remember that no matter what." Felix smiled sadly as he held out a fist.

"Thank you Felix." Sean smiled back as he bumped Felix's fist before leaving.

If only he knew what he was getting himself into.