"To be a guardian is not to seek power… but to learn when to wield it, and when to withhold it."— Jedi Knight Jason Shan, Holo-recording 19-BBY
The hum of a lightsaber echoed softly through the cavernous chamber, slicing the air in slow, fluid arcs. A young man moved with deliberate precision, every motion guided by disciplined grace. The silver hilt of his lightsaber mirrored that of Qui-Gon Jinn, but the blade—an amethyst blaze—lit the room with an otherworldly glow. The violet hue illuminated his face, revealing sharp, commanding features and piercing gray eyes that seemed to see deeper than most.
Jason Shan.
Padawan to Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi.
He circled an imaginary opponent, immersed in the defensive flows of Soresu. Sweat clung to his dark tunic, his breath even but deep, as he parried and pivoted in slow motion. The whirling technique of Soresu, the third form, wasn't his natural preference. Jason was impulsive, quick with a grin and quicker with a saber, but today Obi-Wan insisted on patience. And there was no arguing with Obi-Wan. Not for long, at least.
A dry voice cut through the silence. "Your stance is tighter today. Maybe you're finally learning that flailing wildly isn't a viable combat strategy."
Jason smirked as he deactivated his lightsaber and turned. Obi-Wan stood at the doorway, arms crossed in his usual measured poise, one brow slightly raised. Jason replied, voice thick with sarcasm, "You wound me, Master. I thought my flailing was quite stylish."
Obi-Wan stepped into the room, nodding in approval. "Your 'style' is a mix of flair and suicidal bravado. But Soresu requires discipline. Balance. Calm. If you're to survive the war, you must master it."
Jason clipped the hilt to his belt and took a seat on the meditation mat in the center of the chamber. "Right. Calm. Inner peace. Serenity and all that other Jedi brochure stuff."
Obi-Wan gave him a look but didn't respond, simply sitting beside him. Jason shut his eyes and drew in a long breath. Meditation came less naturally than lightsaber combat. His mind raced too often. Images, memories, flashes of something... distant. Foreign. He was haunted not by darkness, but by potential. A feeling of something just out of reach. Not sinister—just... incomplete.
As he sank deeper into the Force, the world quieted. He felt the temple around him: the flicker of torches, the heartbeat of the Jedi around him, the steady pulse of Obi-Wan's calm presence. Then... something else.
A ripple.
Like a whisper across water, something stirred in the current of the Force. Jason's brow furrowed. He tried to reach for it—but it slipped through his mind like smoke. No fear. No anger. Just... change.
His eyes opened suddenly. "Did you feel that?"
Obi-Wan looked at him calmly. "Feel what?"
Jason hesitated. "Something moved. In the Force. Like... a warning, maybe? I don't know."
Obi-Wan regarded him for a moment, then nodded slowly. "The future is always in motion. Perhaps the Force is trying to prepare you."
Jason sighed, rubbing his face. "I wish it would speak Basic for once."
Before Obi-Wan could reply, a soft tone sounded at the doorway. A young temple guard stood there, bowing politely. "Master Kenobi. Padawan Shan. The Council has summoned you."
The High Council chamber was bathed in soft golden light as Jason and Obi-Wan entered. Familiar faces greeted them—Mace Windu, Plo Koon, Ki-Adi-Mundi, and at the center, Master Yoda, wise and ancient. Jason bowed respectfully, though he couldn't resist a subtle smirk at Windu's ever-stern expression.
"Master Kenobi," Yoda said, nodding. "Your Padawan, well he trains. But a different path today he must walk."
Jason blinked. "Wait, am I being reassigned?"
Yoda's eyes twinkled. "Temporarily. A diplomatic mission, you will join me on. A trial of spirit and insight, this will be."
Jason glanced at Obi-Wan, who nodded subtly. The trust between them didn't need words.
Mace Windu's tone was clipped, as always. "You're to accompany Master Yoda to Rugosa. The system is under siege by Separatist influence. King Katuunko may offer us support, if we handle this with care."
Jason's brow arched. "So... me, Yoda, and a diplomatic shuttle. Sounds boring."
Yoda chuckled, a low, amused sound. "Boring, you say? Hm. Perhaps not."
Obi-Wan leaned in slightly, his voice low and dry. "Try not to embarrass us, Jason."
Jason offered him a grin. "Wouldn't dream of it."
[Scene transitions to match the start of Clone Wars Season 1, Episode 1: "Ambush."]
The Jedi transport hummed through hyperspace. Jason stood near the viewport, watching the swirling blue tunnel outside. His cloak hung around his shoulders, but he'd pulled the hood down. His thoughts, however, were far from still.
Yoda sat in a meditative posture behind him, eyes closed, calm as stone. Jason had to admire the little green legend—he was small, yes, but there was something vast in the way he simply existed. Jason could feel it. Like standing beside a mountain.
"Restless, you are," Yoda said without opening his eyes.
Jason didn't turn around. "I've never been on a mission like this before. Usually there's more lightsaber and less talking."
Yoda's ears twitched. "Often, talking ends wars that fighting cannot."
Jason exhaled slowly. "Sometimes talking just delays the fighting."
A pause. Then Yoda opened his eyes. "And yet... fight, we must not seek."
Jason finally turned, his tone curious. "Master Yoda… can I ask you something?"
Yoda tilted his head.
"Have you ever felt like you were meant for something more... but didn't know what it was?"
Yoda looked at him for a long moment, the Force humming between them. "Much potential, I sense in you. Strong in the Force, your path is. But clear? No. Discover it, you must. In time."
Jason gave a half-smile. "I was afraid you'd say something like that."
Before Yoda could respond, the ship jolted.
"General Yoda," came the pilot's voice over the comm. "We've exited hyperspace near Rugosa, but there's trouble—Separatist blockade!"
Jason's hand instinctively went to his lightsaber.
Yoda's eyes narrowed. "Prepare, we must."
[Rugosa's – Meeting Location]
A hologram of Count Dooku flickered to life before King Katuunko, the proud monarch of Toydaria. Dooku, regal and composed in his dark cape, dipped his head with courtesy that dripped with venom.
"My lord, I assure you, the Jedi are... preoccupied. The Republic sends only Yoda to meet you—an old relic—while the Confederacy offers strength, unity... and protection."
Katuunko's wings buzzed slightly, suspicion furrowing his brow. "The Jedi Master Yoda is known to me. A warrior of great renown."
Dooku gave a slight smile. "An outdated legend. I propose a test. Let Yoda prove the Republic's worth... assuming he survives."
[Back on the Republic Cruiser – Bridge]
The bridge shook violently as turbolaser fire lanced across the void, impacting the ship's shields. Alarms screamed. Jason stumbled, gripping a console to steady himself. Clones scrambled to defensive positions.
"Shields down to seventy percent!"
Jason glanced at Yoda. "Well, guess we found out what the 'test' is."
Yoda nodded gravely. "Into an escape pod, we must go. Distract them, this ship shall."
Jason's lips parted, incredulous. "You're joking. You want us to ride a tin can into a war zone?"
Yoda's eyes sparkled. "A Jedi fears not risk. Trust the Force, you must."
Jason grinned, adrenaline already rising. "Of course. I just hope the Force packed us seatbelts."
The escape pod launched, hissing from the cruiser's underbelly like a dart shot into the heart of chaos. Jason stood inside, gripping the support rails as the pod streaked toward Rugosa. Around him, three clone troopers—Lieutenant Thire, Jek, and Rys—braced themselves with silent focus. Yoda meditated in stillness amid the turbulence, a calm eye in the storm.
Jason stared out the small viewport as Rugosa loomed ahead: a world of jagged coral ridges and sweeping blue sand, beautiful and foreboding. He took a breath and muttered, "Something tells me this isn't going to go quietly."
The pod shuddered violently, then slammed into Rugosa's surface with bone-rattling force.
Yoda opened his eyes slowly.
"Begun... this test has."