Jedi Temple, Coruscant
Ten Years Old. The Day of Selection.
The Council Chamber was silent.
Fifteen of us stood in a loose line, some with shoulders slumped, others standing stiffly at attention. The Jedi Masters sat in their semi-circle, their expressions carefully neutral. Sunlight streamed in through the tall windows, casting long shadows across the marble floor.
We had all trained for this moment. We had all dreamed of it.
But I knew how this story ended. I had seen it in a vision six years ago. And I had spent every moment since preparing for this outcome.
Still, as I looked at my fellow initiates, I felt something unfamiliar twist in my chest.
Soren, standing beside me, clenched his fists so tightly that his knuckles turned white. Freya's lips were pressed together, her breathing shallow. Goran had his chin up, eyes flickering between the Masters, as if silently begging for a different answer.
They didn't know. They still had hope.
Master Windu leaned forward, hands folded on his lap. His gaze was sharp as durasteel. "Initiates Arcann, Freya, Soren, Goran…" He continued down the list, naming every one of us who had been gathered here today.
My stomach tightened.
"You have trained diligently, and your connection to the Force is not in doubt. However, the path of a Jedi Knight is not meant for all."
A pause.
I heard Soren inhale sharply beside me.
"We have decided that your future within the Jedi Order lies in the Agri-Corps."
There it was. The sentence that sealed our fates.
A polite way of telling us we were failures. That we would never be Padawans. That we would never wield a lightsaber in defense of the galaxy.
The room was silent for a long moment.
Then, Goran stepped forward. "Masters, please." His voice cracked, and he quickly lowered his gaze in embarrassment before continuing, softer this time. "I know I struggled with some of my classes, but… but I've trained hard. If you give me another chance—"
"The decision is final," Master Windu interrupted. His voice wasn't unkind, but it was firm.
I caught Master Plo Koon glancing at him briefly before speaking. His voice, as always, was measured and calm. "The Jedi serve the Force, not themselves. The Agri-Corps is a vital part of that service. The Order does not cast away its own, but rather finds where they are needed most."
"We do not judge your worth by this decision," Master Shaak Ti added. Her eyes rested on Freya, perhaps sensing the way she trembled slightly. "Your journey is not over. It is simply taking a different path."
Different path.
A lie, wrapped in kindness.
I understood why they said it. The Jedi were not cruel. But they would never admit that in their eyes, we were defective pieces of a grand design—still part of the whole, but not fit to hold a blade or stand among warriors.
A part of me wanted to laugh.
It was exactly as I had foreseen. Exactly as I had planned for.
But why, then, did I feel this… strange, hollow weight in my chest?
I lowered my gaze, doing what I had practiced a thousand times in the mirror. I forced my shoulders to sag just slightly, let disappointment creep into my expression. I had to appear just like the others.
Defeated.
It was quiet for a moment before Yoda finally spoke, his voice softer than the others'. "Doubt yourselves, you must not. In the Force, many paths exist. Unexpected, some may be. But in all paths, purpose can be found."
A vague, comforting sentiment. The kind spoken to children who did not yet understand the world.
But I was not a child. Not in the way they thought.
I bowed my head, hiding my face. "I… I understand, Master Yoda."
Soren sucked in a sharp breath beside me, his hands still trembling at his sides. Freya had not moved at all.
Master Windu glanced at the group once more before dismissing us. "You will leave for your new assignments in the coming days. You may spend time in the Temple until then. That is all."
A finality settled over the room.
One by one, we turned and walked out.
Jedi Temple, Initiates' Dormitory
The silence between us was thick as we entered our shared quarters.
As soon as the door slid shut, Soren exhaled sharply and punched the wall.
"Why?" His voice was raw, unsteady. "Why wouldn't they let us prove ourselves? Why just… send us away like this?"
Goran sat on his bed, head in his hands, his entire body tense. Freya stood still in the center of the room, her arms wrapped around herself.
I stayed near the door, watching.
"They never wanted us to succeed," Soren muttered. "They picked their favorites years ago. The rest of us were just… waiting for the day they threw us out."
I didn't correct him. But it wasn't favoritism that had decided our fate. It was efficiency. The Jedi didn't waste resources on potential that would never reach its full measure.
And according to them, we would never reach ours.
Freya finally turned, fixing her gaze on me. "You knew."
I held her stare. "What?"
"You knew we wouldn't be chosen," she said quietly. "You weren't surprised. You didn't even look upset."
The others turned to face me.
For a moment, I considered lying.
Then, I sighed and sat down on my cot. "I had a feeling."
Soren scoffed. "A feeling? You don't just guess something like this."
I shrugged. "It was obvious, wasn't it? The Masters never let us join extra training sessions. They never paid us much attention. It was always the same few initiates being called for evaluations."
Freya frowned. "Why didn't you say anything?"
"And what would that have changed?" I asked, leaning forward. "Would you have trained harder? Tried to impress them more?" I shook my head. "It wouldn't have mattered. Their decision was already made."
Silence.
Then, Goran laughed bitterly. "So that's it, then. We're just supposed to leave?"
None of us answered.
I stared at the ceiling, listening to the sounds of Coruscant beyond the Temple walls.
No.
I would not just leave.
For six years, I had been preparing for this moment. I had spent my nights memorizing archives, studying machines, learning things the Jedi never taught us initiates. I had built FD-01 in secret. I had hacked into the Temple's archives piece by piece, installing backdoors. I had made sure that if this day ever came… I would not be helpless.
The Jedi thought they had chosen my fate for me.
They were wrong.
I had already chosen my own.
And one day, they would understand exactly what they had cast aside.