After the occurence calmed down and everyone ressumed their buisness the boy walked side by side with the woman and her robot. The jedi master led them through multiple corridors. He was still amazed by the size of the place, the smaller places were still multiple stories high, while with some Maren was sure they touched the clouds. At the same time everything was so pristine, blindingly clean and orderly, completly different from the prison he escaped from. While Maren was busy absorbing this new environment, his companion started to entertain herself. On the one hand she started making noise from her lips... she was not very good. On the other she drummed on everything they came across, walls, pillars sometimes even the robot. It was seemingly not pleased, but did not complain and just accepted his fate.
Then the woman asked: "Master Mundi, how are the kids?"
"Hmm yeah, well I guess", the jedi master grumbled, strocking his beard, "One should have had a birthday I think."
"Oh that is great. They grow up so..."
"More importantly, do you not know in how much trouble you are? First you just disappear without a trace and then this person you bring here starts attacking the student."
"I did NOT start this, get that in that big head of yours."
Whoops, Maren actually did not want to antagonize the elder jedi, but these false accusations today, angered him to no end.
"You even seen it."
"What AUDACITY, not only are you..."
"He wasn't serious master", his partner interjected by holding one of her hands over his mouth. It was a very pretty hand, smelled good too. "he comes from a not so happy place and is a bit on the edge because of it. And besides he was not the one to try to shank someone with a lightsaber."
"Ha yeah, "tried" is the right word here", the young boy supplemented a bit smug.
This gained him an evil look from the master and the woman pinched his cheek. Not that it caused any reaction from the lad, he was accustomed to worse. "Could you not making this more difficult, I am trying my best here, okay?", she hushed in his ear, the last part of the sentence in a higher oktave than usual. Maren could just smile about it. The robot meanwhile just beeped a lot. It sounded like laughter.
"So who is gonna be here today?"
"Normally this would be all a formality, but that little stunt of his made this a lot more complicated than it needed to be. The only reason I still show some goodwill is because of you, but let us see what the other councilmembers have to say. They are already contacted and probably waiting."
The four of them entered a little zylindric room. It was round about twice as tall as the man with a light on the ceiling. The jedi master pressed on a button on a shiny rectangle and the cylinder came to life. They stood there for a bit while it made a buzzing sound, then came a "ding" sound, making Maren tense up, but relaxed when he saw no threat and walked out of the opening door. Suddenly they were in a corridor with multiple windows, several hundred above the ground. Maren stepped at one of the windows to look at the megacity recalling the last days, from sitting in a dark putrid cave with seemingly no way to escape to standing on top of a gigantic building looking at the horizon. As he stood there the woman unexpectedly nestling her cheek uppn his.
"Isn't it great here. Soon you will meet the masters then a bunch of new people, train, learn about the force and I will be there for you at every moment, watching you grow into a great jedi. It will be soooo much fun."
"Yes, yes it will", Maren answered.
'And something presses on my back. It is lovely.'
"Now come on you two, we already make the other councilmembers wait."
"Oh come on master Mundi, why so groggy. That just makes you look older. Here that is what you should do."
She went over to him. Put her index finger in each corner if his mouth and pushed them upwards.
"See that's what you should do", mimiking the forced smile, but earnest.
The tall-headed man judged her with a stern look. He unwinded himself from her grasp and just simply said "Let us go", in a judging tone. It would have been a lot more impressive, if not a slight smile kept creeping upon his face and it also did not help that he unsuccessfully tried to hide it. At the end of the hallway they reached a simple door, for this place at least.
The woman nudged him in the side. "We're here", Maren just nodded. This is probably the most important moment in his life.
The door glided to the side and the group entered the room. The room was round with a several meter tall ceiling and an ornamental floor with patterns Maren did not recognised.
Around them in a circle were seats, five of them filled by various different aliens. One black bald human, one grey long-necked thing, a brown one with a mask one redkinned lady with white face paint and two horns with tails going down to her hips and one green wrinkly frog creature. Their guide went to one seat an sat down.
"Master Mundi already informed us about what happened. What are we even discussing. The decision should be clear. This is an immense waste of time", opened the human dry with scorn in his eyes, not even granting him any attention, speaking like he was not even here. And Maren did not like that AT ALL. A vain on his forhead statted to pulsate and his left eyelid furiously twitched. Also something upset him deeply from his allegation.
"Now, now Master Windu, let the boy explain himself first before we decide, that is only fair", said the mask man.
"Why should we. Is there any doubt of his guilt."
"No, agree with Master Plo, I do", the frog man answered. "Now child, please explain yourself."
Unlike the bald one, the green one did not seem immeadiatly hostile, so Maren spoke his mind.
"Yeah there is nothing really to talk about. Not like he was a threat", Maren explained, only exaggerating a teensy but.
"Taking a hostage seems to be something we should talk about", their former guide said with a slightly miffed tone.
"But Master you saw that it was not his...", the woman tried to interpose.
"My dear this is not the only predicament. You seemed to... forgot to tell us that your new find is sooo... peculiar", expressed the colourful woman in a melodic voice.
"Well...", the woman began to find a suitible answer with pursed lips.
"Can someone please tell me first why everyone is so much revolted by me", Maren asked exceedingly annoyed at the prospect of everyone talking over him. "At least have courtesy to say it in my face."
The room went quite for a moment before the the human answered.
"We can perceive the dark side in you."
"What? I thought we got over that. The whole time noone cared and now suddenly everyone throws these claims around. Where was this insight the entire time I walked around here. The people in power here do an inadequate job", the boy ranted to the councilmembers.
'Man I am on fire today. You are really giving it to them', Maren mused to himself.
The woman meanwhile looked at him with horror and gave him a little kick against his shins. Something that the lad barely even notices. What he noticed was the panickes side stare she gave. He did not reciporcate it. It had to be said.
"We have to say it is barely noticable, but undoubtly there. A normal force user can probably not see it. The young Squall has a very... unique relation with the dark side, that is the reason why he could espied it", the masked man explained in a friendly, too friendly for Maren's taste. He learned in his young life that noone is freindly to you without a hidden reason.
"So what does that mean now", the boy questioned the master.
"I don't know", he laughed at himself.
"But I do. He is not welcomed here. His corruption is apparent", the bald man interjected, not looking away once from the boy. Maren now started to REALLY dislike him. It was not just the rabid charges, but now after this whole time he FINALLY realized why he REALLY does not like him.
"You and me both, Baldie", he cut in pointing at him. The whole room went silent except his partner who inhaled the air so hard she started to squeak while looking at him in shock. The brown one looked to the side and coughed profusely. The long necked one starred at the ceiling. The colourful woman just stared at him in disbelief. The frog meanwhile just observed the face of the offended and held his hand before his mouth, hiding a smirk.
"Careful boy, before I..."
"Iamsosorryforhispottymouth.Ican'tbelievehesaidthat.Hedidn'tmeananyofthissopleasedon'tbemadathim.Iamresponsibleforhimsopunishmeinstead", the woman rapid-fired her apology, bowing before the masters. At the same time she put a hand on Maren's head and forced him to do the same. He did not see why this was necessary, as he spoke the truth... as always, but it was her so he let her do it.
"Quite the claim, is it not?", the green gremlin put forward in a sarcastic tone still trying to hide his smirke... unsuccessfully.
"You know I am right", the lad answered a teensy bit huffy. Not that he showed it, oh no no no.
The toad chuckled and moved his gaze at the woman.
"And really sure you are he is the one?"
"Yes master and I am sorry again for his bad mouth. You see he is from a not good place and was not taught the right manners, but I assure you he has the potential to be a great jedi, one of our best", she replied bumping her fist on her chest, almost saluting.
"Well put it to a vote we do. Master Shaak Ti", the little green man asked.
The multicoloured jedi meet his gaze and answered.
"I think he is too much inclined for the dark side. He is too dangerous."
"I see it so too", the human agreed.
"Now that is rich comming from you", Maren said sarcastically to him. At the same moment he finished this sentence he wanted to bite his tongue... even though he was positive he was not wrong in his assesment. Nevertheless what is right or wtong the Miraluka stepped on his foot staring at him with utmost vehemence and mumbled "adgrejhfzn."
Before another squabble could break out again, the little green one interjected.
"So two nay it is, the others?"
"That boy is still a child and we should not just judge because of it. It is our purpose, no our duty to guide people like him to the light. If not can we still be even be called jedi", the jedi with the mask put forward looking at the human, "as we did with you old friend."
The human just gave the alien an unfriendly eye.
"Master Plo Koon is right and besides, Pfhtia ALWAYS showed a good eye for potential neophytes. Every single one she brought to us shows promise as a jedi. I trust her instinct in this matter", the white tall-necked master complemented his colleague.
"So two two it is. Master Mundi your assesment?"
The master looked first at the other masters then at Maren the woman and the robot and sighed.
"After the... incident that included my apprentice I think I am not suited to give a statement."
"Hmm, hmm, so two two still. Hmm, hmm."
After he thought for a while he pointed his attention at Maren, "Young one. Promise me to be a good boy, you will?"
"Sure... I will... TRY to be... less of a... babarian", the young boy said trying to hide his anger and calm his bruised ego.
"Then the matter settled is. Accepting this boy as one of us we will... for the moment. Checking if young Pfhtia is right about you we will. Now settled the matter seemed it is. Young boy from now on calling yourself initiate of the jedi you can."