Dedicated to the_ravenclaw_writer

     Jedi Initiate Kyra Kryze opened her eyes and shot to her feet as memories that had once been murky suddenly became clear. She rushed out of the Jedi Temple's meditation garden, trying to maintain an aura of tranquility as she went in search of Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi. When she realized that masking her emotions would not be enough to conceal her true feelings in a building filled to the brim with Force-sensitive beings, Kyra stopped and took several deep breaths, setting off once more when she had successfully cleared her mind.

     Upon finding Obi-Wan gathered with the other Jedi Masters in the High Council Chamber, which overlooked Coruscant's skyline, Kyra decided to wait outside until they had concluded their meeting.

     Shortly after, as the Council members dispersed, she called out, "Master Kenobi, may I have a word with you? In private?"

     Obi-Wan nodded, and as they walked, Kyra studied his profile and wondered how she had missed their similar features. She had her mother's narrow face, small nose, lean – yet muscular – build, and slender hands, but her father's full lips, prominent cheekbones, and thick auburn hair. Her sapphire blue eyes were a trait she shared with both of her parents. Kyra followed Obi-Wan to a quiet corner of the Jedi Temple Library, where the Jedi Archives were stored, and sat across from him in one of the two plush armchairs.

     Even as Obi-Wan settled into his seat, Kyra leaned forward, unable to maintain her calm façade any longer.

     Looking down at the floor rather than meeting Kenobi's eyes, Kyra wrung her hands and quietly stated, "Master, I...I know you're my father."

     Obi-Wan sat in stunned silence for a moment, then asked, "How do you know this?"

     "I was meditating in the gardens a short time ago," Kyra explained, "and I had a vision. It took place soon after I was born; my mother was telling you that you were my father, and you said you had to bring me here...Is it true?"

     Obi-Wan nodded, and Kyra hesitated before continuing, "She also said only a few people know I'm her daughter. Why doesn't she want the people of Mandalore to know I exist? Is she ashamed of me? Embarrassed?"

     "No, of course not, she loves you very much," Obi-Wan immediately said. "She was forced to keep your existence a secret from her people because her silence on the matter of who your father was would've led to speculation. You must understand, Kyra, if the Jedi Council discovers I fathered a child, I would be removed from the Order."

     The Jedi Initiate nodded and finally met Obi-Wan's eyes as she asked, "Would you consider taking me on as your padawan once I have completed The Gathering?"

     The Jedi Master fell silent and stroked his beard thoughtfully as he considered her request.

     Finally, he sighed and said, "I'll think about it, but the two of us being related could...complicate things."

     Kyra nodded, following Obi-Wan as he left the library and set off to join the other Jedi Initiates, who were preparing to travel off-world for The Gathering. The Gathering was the most important part of an initiate's training, as it was the final rite of passage before they were promoted to the rank of Padawan. When they were ready, a group of Force-sensitive children would be taken to the icy planet of Ilum, where they would be chosen by the kyber crystal that would power their lightsaber.

     Kyra's group – or clan, as they were named by the initiates – included a human named Petro, a Tholothian named Katooni, an Ithorian named Byph, a Rodian named Ganodi, a Nautolan named Zatt, and a Wookie named Gungi.

     Once Obi-Wan had their attention, he stated, "You have proved to be the top of your class, and now is the time of The Gathering. For a Jedi, there is no greater challenge or honor."

     "What is The Gathering, Master Kenobi?" Petro asked.

     "Maybe one of your fellow Initiates can answer your question," Obi-Wan replied, and Kyra's hand instantly shot up.

     When Obi-Wan gestured for Kyra to answer, she explained, "When a group of younglings are ready to participate in The Gathering, it means the time has come for them to build their own lightsabers."

     Kenobi nodded as he held out the hilt of his own lightsaber and advised the awestruck students, "Be warned: this is no simple task, and many perils lie ahead of you. Where we are going, there is no place more sacred to the Jedi."

...

     The Crucible – a Republic cruiser – landed on the inhospitable surface of Ilum, Kenobi and the initiates now dressed in fur cloaks designed to ward off the sub-zero temperatures.

     When they reached a monolithic wall of ice and Petro claimed that the path was a dead end, Obi-Wan smirked, kneeling on the ground as he uncovered the symbol of the Jedi Order, "Younglings, outstretch your hands and focus the Force. Together, and only together, can we enter."

     The Jedi Master extended his arm and closed his eyes, reaching out to the Force as the Jedi Initiates followed his lead. The ice shifted, then crumbled to reveal the Jedi Temple within. Obi-Wan entered the temple, which was made entirely of ice, and led the younglings to Grand Master Yoda, who was waiting inside for the group.

     The initiates bowed their heads as Yoda said, "The Force made physical, a Jedi is. Comes great responsibility with that, yes? Protect others, how does a Jedi, hmm? Build your own lightsaber, you shall."

     The Grand Master pulled his lightsaber from his robe and ignited its green blade as he continued, "But first, harvest your crystal, each one of you must. The heart of the lightsaber, the crystal is. Focuses the Force from the Jedi, it does."

     Using the Force, Master Yoda shifted a block of ice and allowed the sunshine to melt an inner door, which had previously been frozen.

     "If Jedi you are to become, enter the crystal cave, you must," Yoda explained. "Trust yourself, trust each other, and succeed, you will."

     "Once you have found your crystal, do not remain inside," Obi-Wan added. "As daylight ends, the door will freeze over again, and you will be trapped inside for one rotation. There will be nothing anyone can do for you."

     "How will we know which crystal to pick?" Petro questioned.

     "Only you can know which one is yours," Obi-Wan replied, answering the boy's straightforward question with a cryptic response that the Jedi were famous for.

     As the initiates entered the labyrinth within the temple, Kyra looked up at the wall of ice, which had already started to cover the door.

     "How do they expect us to find our crystals when the whole place is made up of ice?" Katooni asked worriedly.

     Petro scoffed, "I don't see the big deal. I could easily last a night here."

     "From my calculations..." Zatt muttered, looking down at his datapad as he paused to wipe his running nose, "taking into account the planetary movements in this system, um, the sun only rises on Ilum every nineteen days."

     "That is a very long night," Kyra said, looking pointedly at Petro.

     The arrogant boy just rolled his eyes and marched away from the group, "Well, I don't know about you lot, but enough with the chatter. I'm gonna be the first to get my crystal and get out of here."

     When Katooni recommended that the group stay together, Petro shook his head and continued on his own path, "No, thank you. You're on your own."

     Katooni sighed and turned to the others, "Come on. We need to keep moving."

     Gungi stated that Petro was selfish in Shyriiwook, the guttural language of the Wookiees, and the other initiates nodded their agreement as they made their way to a vestibule that featured multiple entrances to separate corridors.

     "Which way now?" Ganodi asked fretfully. "We don't have much time, and we have no idea where the crystals are."

     When Katooni suggested splitting up, Ganodi protested emphatically and Byph agreed with the young Rodian.

     "Are we Jedi or cowards?" Zatt asked as Kyra blew into her hands and carefully watched the exchange. "On the count of three, close your eyes and point to a door, and that's the direction each of us will go. One, two, three."

     Kyra's hands remained at her side as Zatt pointed to the same door as Katooni, while Ganodi was paired up with Gungi. Byph – the only Jedi Initiate who pointed at the third door – mumbled fearfully to his friends, reluctant to wander through the icy maze alone.

     "Uh, sorry, Byph. Looks like you're on your own," Zatt said, looking somewhat uncomfortable.

     When the Ithorian emphatically shook his head, Katooni added, "Byph, your instincts told you to go that way. You have to follow your instincts."

     When he continued to argue, Katooni replied, "You shouldn't be afraid of monsters, Byph. You're a Jedi."

     The five younglings entered their respective tunnels as Kyra closed her eyes and waited for the Force's guidance, which guided her back the way she and the other initiates had come. She marched confidently through the temple, following the hollow whistle that echoed through its tunnels, eventually leading her to a corridor in which an intimidating figure waited. Upon seeing the horns that crowned his head, Kyra quickly deduced that the being standing before her was a Zabrak.

     Though she had only heard of this particular individual, when she saw his mechanical legs, Kyra remembered that it was her father who had cut him in half nearly thirteen years earlier. Darth Maul grinned menacingly as he ignited his double-bladed lightsaber and dragged her mother, who had previously been concealed behind a column of ice, toward him.

     Kyra stopped several yards short of Maul, who said, "A Jedi often comes to a crossroad during their time in the Order, but I've never heard of an Initiate being asked to make a choice as difficult as this."

     The Zabrak smiled, baring his sharp teeth as he pressed the crimson blade of his lightsaber against Satine's throat, his free hand curled around the kyber crystal that had called to Kyra.

     "Join me, and I will teach you the ways of the dark side, letting your mother—the Duchess of Mandalore—live," the former Sith, whose skin was red and black, continued in a gravelly voice. "Or...you can take your kyber crystal, become a Jedi, and let your mother die. Her fate rests in your hands."

     "A Jedi is supposed to forgo all personal attachment, as well as help those who cannot help themselves," Kyra replied, stalling as she weighed her options. "We're also supposed to aid innocent bystanders when they are accidentally caught up in the violence of war."

     Maul chuckled humorlessly, "You believe your mother to be innocent? Her pacifistic ideals led Mandalore to a Civil War, clan fighting against clan and brother fighting against brother. Do you know how many lives were lost?"

     "Having opposing ideals to the other, more...quarrelsome clans of Mandalore does not make the Duchess immoral," Kyra countered.

     "What is your choice, youngling?" Maul snapped, growing tired of their conversation.

     "I choose the Jedi," Kryze said boldly as she marched toward the Zabrak and plucked the crystal from his hand.

     As Kyra turned away, she heard her mother ask, "You want to know why I kept you out of the public eye before letting Master Kenobi take you away? Because I didn't want them to be disappointed when they saw how the heir to the Mandalorian throne would never belong with her own people."

     "I know you aren't my real mother. You may look like the woman I saw in my dreams, but you're a vision, a trial created by the Force to test my loyalty to the Jedi Order," Kyra replied with a smirk before turning on her heel and walking away.

     "What if this is a premonition? Not only a test, but a glimpse of the future?" Darth Maul asked, stopping the initiate in her tracks.

     Kyra considered his questions for a moment, then replied, "If what you say is true, then I will cross that bridge when I come to it."

...

     Aboard the Crucible once more, the Jedi Initiates trained with a small, spherical droid that hovered around the room and randomly shot plasma bolts at the younglings. When Obi-Wan entered the chamber, he gathered the initiates before stating that they had all successfully passed The Gathering. He instructed the younglings to place their kyber crystals on a nearby table and introduced them to Huyang, a droid who had been designing lightsabers for thousands of years.

     As the droid started to explain the process of building a lightsaber to the initiates, Obi-Wan pulled Kyra aside and kneeled in front of her.

     Kenobi held out his hand, and when Kyra gave him her crystal, he asked, "Do you know how to awaken the Force within the crystal?"

     When Kryze shook her head, Obi-Wan said, "Hold out your hand. Describe what you see your saber to be."

     When the initiate began to tell the Master what she saw, he instructed her to picture what the hilt felt like in her hand, not how she imagined her weapon to appear.

     "What will make you strong in battle and humble in defeat?" Obi-Wan questioned. "What connects with your Force?"

     Kyra closed her eyes, concentrating as she reached out and connected with the Force. After a moment, when various items flew through the room and landed in front of her, she opened her eyes and examined the seemingly useless pieces of scrap metal that would supposedly form her lightsaber. Closing her eyes once more, Kyra began to construct her weapon, the bronze, brown, and silver hilt of her weapon resting in her hands once it had become fully formed, her kyber crystal safely housed inside.

      Kryze hesitated briefly before igniting her lightsaber, the blade humming to life as a vibrant blue glow filled the chamber. The other initiates fell silent as they looked over at their fellow youngling's newly-constructed weapon. Even Petro, who was overly confident in his abilities, had not been able to finish building his saber in one attempt as Kyra had.

     "Do you know the significance of a blue-bladed lightsaber?" Obi-Wan asked, and Kyra shook her head.

     "A blue blade represents righteousness and bravery, as well as a strong spiritual alignment with your kyber crystal. It is also indicative of a Jedi Guardian, such as myself. We tend to connect with the Force on a more physical level," he explained, placing a hand on her shoulder. "These are your first steps into a larger galaxy, Kyra, and I will teach you in the ways of the Force, as my Master once taught me."

     The initiate's eyes widened as she heard the excited whispers of the other younglings behind her.

     "Thank you, Master," Kyra replied quietly. "I will not fail you."

     As Obi-Wan got to his feet, he said, "Come, my Padawan. There is much to learn."