Hardwork to Victory

19 BBY: Illion River, Yossut

"ALRIGHT CHICKENS,

high knees to your chest! I want to see movement!" Clone Trooper, Goldie barked at the young padawans. He strutted before the young padawan asserting his dominance and they submitted. Goldie was a newly appointed captain and his many battles were painted to his gold chest plate to signify his experience.

Yossut was a Mid Rim Republic planet that housed thousands of army bases for the Grand Army of Republic. New Kamino batches were dropped off for training and young Jedi were brought here for the experience and enhanced training.

"You failed, it's time to learn...again!" the clone trooper barked.

"Ugh, this is useless!" Jysell growled. She grew tired of waiting and he hopes of becoming a Jedi were slipping. Even some of the teachings she received from Yu'sarai were 'boring' or useless.

"What? Can't you handle simple training?" Kema laughed.

"You just wait, I'll be picked and I'll be the most powerful here ever!"

"Ok....sure!" Kema giggled.

As they trained, Bothka watched on and studied their actions and their minds. Next to him, Yu'sarai and Xido stood firm waiting to hear his words. Goldie joined them and obviously, Xido would be giggling.

"Her, what is her name?" Bothka pointed.

"Kema, Kema Kordall" Xido answered impatiently. "A slave survivor!"

"From where?"

"The Cif system. A separatist-controlled system," Kema replied.

"How d-, nevermind. She's the one!" he was left speechless. To the public and even the Jedi mostly knew of Cif as a slavery pit that whoever crossed the would be hunt down for enslavement.

The teachers around him gathered and checked. "But master are you sure?"

"I'm not, but the force has chosen!" He silently sat to watch her train. Suddenly the trooper ordered them to stop, a speeder was heading towards them. As it slowed towards the group of Jedi the trooper barked "Attention!"

They stood firm and out of the speeder walked a young juvenile almost the age of the Jedi but more experienced. For the republic it was surprising but the amount of war she had experienced was enough to outrank Goldie himself. She was almost a Jedi Guardian.

"This here is advisor Zena Dolpho, she is one of our Grand Army Advisors and has served in the battles of Ontamoo and Teirsol" he saluted her before she checked the group of young Jedi.

"You're smaller than I expected, wanna go for a dance later?" a young Jedi giggled.

"State your name," she stood upright in front of the Jedi.

"Wes Handel!"

"Punch me!"

As the Jedi lept for a strike, she swiftly dodged and before he could falk onto his jaw she grabbed his hand and stroke his abdomen. Grunting in pain he fell by the ground as Kema and the others watched on.

"Zena, glad you could make it! On your feet, padawan!" He snarled.

"Glad to join you, hope your selection is ready for the challenge." she brushed her fit clean and place her hands behind her back establishing her professionalism.

"Yes I have found the choice," he replied in a smile. "Padawans, with me!" Goldie, Bothka and Zena accompanied the padawans to a training facility where Zena would take over. The facility was the same as the previous one. Same missions, same map but this one was different. The maze was three times bigger and the droids would shoot. Several padawans were stretched out of the building towards the medical bay.

"Padawan's welcome to The Trap! Here you will not rely on the force whatsoever but rather your tactics!" she began debriefing. "You will have to capture each point but if you're shot, you will have to go back to the start! No worries if you are a chicken, you can forfeit."

"You ready?" Jysell snarled.

"Always! See you on the other side!" Kema smiled, ready for the challenge.

-

Low-orbit, Sung

A shuttle exited hyperspace and slipped into orbit, waiting for a freighter that was already in orbit. The pilot stared at the glowing red Holocron. It rolled around as the ship would turn. It was pleasing to the eye and any force wielder would be called to it.

"Enodo, come in!"

"Enodo here!" he clicked the comms.

"Did you find the goods, hehe?" the other end called, almost drooling over the comms.

"Yes, it's some type of Jewel!" he answered.

"You think it's worth something?"

"Of what we are being paid, I think so!" he sighed. "Besides it's pretty useless anyway!"

"Why does the kid want it again?"

"Somehow she said that it makes her smarter?" he laughed.

"I say we sell it!"

"Let's see what she can do, then if she's just a stupid brat we'll have to ditch the deal with our credits!" Enodo said over the comms as his ship docked with the freighter right before it turned to deep space and engaged hyperdrive. "We can sell it to someone who finds these items, fascinating!"

-

Back at Yossut, the game was getting interesting, Jedi after Jedi returned to the start. Meanwhile, Kema ran up and across the walls to dodge incoming droids. After sticking a nice landing, she observed her points. Racking up almost fifteen.

"How much you did you get?"

"Fifteen!" Jysell checked.

"Well, I'm about to catch the last one before the finish!"

"Yeah right!" she got in her way and tripped her insight of incoming droids then running away for the finish.

"Ugh, typical!" Kema sighed, as the droids closed in for a shot, she slid and bent to dodge gunfire.

She was a master in tricky situations, Zena and Bothka watched closely at her movement. Being surrounded she waited until the droid were facing each other. Standing in the middle she smiled, "Goodnight boys!" Leaping up she avoided gunfire and let the droids destroy each other.

"Ahh not a fan of violence, I see?" Zena watched on.

"You're right!" Bothka ran his fingers through his growing beard.

"She's the one, alert me when you get to the temple!"

"Yes sir!" Zena replied as Bothka ran out of the building to his speeder. Right after Kema jumped on to the finish line with Jysell far on. "Alright padawans, the trials have completed," she finished, turning off the droids and the traps of the maze. After presenting the awards to both winners, she inquired of Kema to stay.

As Jysell caught on to this, she felt a burning ache on her throat and stormed away. Kema seemed to notice but she proceeded to see Zena.

"Kema, I have something for you!"

"Yes ma'am!" she sat at one of the loungers. "What is it?"

"You have been chosen for Bothka's mission to enlighten your force ability!" she replied. "So get ready we are leaving now!"

"Oh alright, yes ma'am!"