The two young padawan sprinted quietly through the barren halls of the Temple and into Xumi's living quarters. Xumi made his way to his narrow sleep couch, collapsing onto it with a loud sigh. Joruus knelt at the data table to the right of the sleep couch, placing the holobook down gingerly, as if it would explode any second.
"Why'd you rush us out of there anyways?" exclaimed Xumi between deep breaths.
"It was just…a feeling."
"Whatever you say Joruus, now get out of here I'm going to sleep."
Joruus grabbed the holobook and stuck it in his tunic pocket. Xumi was already out cold and snoring. As he began to turn towards the door, he noticed a small flash of gold. The mask was peeking out of Xumi's pocket. Joruus quietly approached the sleeping Nautolan and slowly retrieved the mask before slipping out the door and heading to his room a few doors down.
He sat cross legged at his desk, placing the holobook down and placing the mask over his face. 'I don't know why, but I'm just more comfortable opening this book with it on' he thought as he finally opened the holobook. As he flipped to the first page, he began to read he felt the slightest of chills begin to creep down his spine.
"Sith holocrons are devices used by the Sith that are capable of containing information. Although their function is similar to that of Jedi holocrons, they are usually tetrahedrons or pyramids , whilst the Jedi holocrons are of cuboid shape, and are accessible only to those who were able to control the dark side of the Force. The Jedi Order considers these to be some of the most dangerous artifacts in the galaxy."
The small chill rapidly grew into an all-encompassing coldness. It was so surprising that Joruus couldn't move.
'Interesting,' he thought. Although a new and almost painful sensation, he felt no fear towards it. While even the most experienced Jedi Knights would have been totally overcome by the shock of feeling this much of the Dark Side in full force, Joruus calmly closed his eyes and breathed deeply, defaulting to the meditation techniques drilled into his mind by Master Yoda for all those cycles as a youngling. Almost instantly he felt a warmth flood his body and balance out the uncomfortable coldness. He was meditating so intensely, however, that he failed to notice the hooded figure who'd entered his room. After opening his eyes he instantly felt their presence, jumping to his feet and calling on the Force to bring his lightsaber from his belt to his hand. Right before he was able to grab onto the hilt, it quickly was pried from his mental grip and into the hand of the stranger.
"No need for any of that," the hooded figure said in an almost muffled voice.
Jorrus raised his hands in preparation for hand to hand combat, a facet of his Jedi training he was particularly proficient in. The hooded stranger, however, reached out a leathery four-fingered hand and made a fist, paralyzing the padawan. Joruus began to panic, his eyes darting around the room searching desperately for anything that could get him out of this situation.
"*SLEEP*" said the stranger, his voice booming directly into Joruus' mind.
Right before he lost consciousness, he caught a slight glimpse of a flash of gold from the shadows of his captors hood…
____________________________________________
When he awoke, Joruus was in the center of a circular platform hundreds of feet above the ground. He groggily stood up, immediately surveying his surroundings. He turned around to see five throne looking seats in a semicircle above him, each inhabitant of the seats wearing a hood covering their face. The Jedi crest was engraved at the bottom of each chair, putting his mind slightly more at ease.
"You can relax, young one," said one of the hooded figures. The voice was deep, certainly a male.
"Where in the kriff am I? Who the kriff are you?" inquired Jorrus, still on alert.
"So…" said the hooded man, ignoring Joruus' questions. "It seems you're the newest candidate. Although, you are quite young. This is definitely unprecedented."
"I say we wipe his mind and wait for another candidate, he's just a fledgling!" exclaimed a rough and booming voice to the left. Joruus turned his attention towards the voice. The figure was massive, definitely not humanoid. 'Lasat maybe?'
"He passed the first test, just like the rest of them. His lack of experience shouldn't matter, especially considering how shorthanded we are at the moment," retorted the first man. The entire company of mysterious figures began to loudly argue amongst themselves. Suddenly a strong wind gusted over the entire room.
"WILL SOMEBODY TELL ME WHAT IS GOING ON?!" Joruus screamed up at the anonymous people, his fists balled at his sides.
They all stopped arguing, shocked by the display of strength.
"Watch your tone, boy." said the massive being.
"You dare call upon the Force against the Council of First Knowledge?!" exclaimed a raspy female voice. "I should just kill you now myse-"
"SILENCE." boomed a deep muffled voice. Joruus recognized it. The man who abducted him. "This boy has completed the first step. Per our original decree, he MUST be given the opportunity to prove himself through the necessary trials. If he fails, he's eliminated, just like any other candidate."
"Hmph. Whatever you say. This is a waste of time, I'm heading back." The massive lifeform stood and lumbered out of Joruus' view. Joruus could feel his glare from behind his hood before he departed.
The being in the center of the five thrones stood and removed his hood, then his Temple Guard mask. Before Joruus stood a male Kel Dorian, his leathery hide and rebreathers catching Joruus by surprise.
'That explains the voice…'
"I am Zullor Drang. Apologies for the secrecy and whatnot. Measures must be taken to ensure our operations remain confidential. I hope you can understand."
Before Joruus had an opportunity to respond, Zullor continued.
"I'll get straight to the point. You have passed the secret first test of an exam to be inducted into our team of Shadows. You are, however, still a padawan. Being the youngest candidate we've seen, we are obviously at a loss at how to handle you."
"Test? I didn't take any-" Joruus recalled the coldness.
"Exactly. That holobook and its contents serve as a catalyst for the Dark Side to invade the mind and body of any who read it. While even some of the most elite and skillful Jedi Knights and Masters have fallen in the face of such dark power, you didn't let it take over in the slightest. In fact, you passed quicker than any previous candidate in recorded history."
Joruus couldn't comprehend what was going on. Shadows? The holobook? His confusion was visible.
"The Jedi Shadows are an elite group of Jedi Sentinels under the control of the Council of First Knowledge. Their sole purpose is to eradicate any and all Sith threats in complete silence. Sith holocrons, artifacts, acolyte uprisings, anything concerning the Sith. We are the Jedi Orders' best kept secret, operating in stealth. We are the elite of the elite, and in every case up until now, those who got to the first stage were much more experienced than a padawan. I'm sure you can understand our dilemma."
Joruus heard the whir of a lift coming from below. On it was a small green being with long ears and a gnarled staff…
"Train the padawan yourself, you will." said a familiar voice.