Come to the Combat Centre. We have some business to attend to.
The message had been clear, and Janos was quick to obey his Master. The man had usually been a good mentor to him. A sense of dread of settled into the pit of his stomach. The two of them hadn’t trained much in the Combat Centre since the match where he had wrecked Bentre’s arm.
As he drew closer to the door, Stormwind saw the cloaked form of his Master. The Corellian looked up, a small smirk on his face. “Every deed brings a reckoning, Janos my friend. Now it is time for you to meet yours. Pass through these doors, and we can begin.”
Drawing a deep breath, the Acolyte nodded. The Sith’s words were far more to the point than normal, absent his usual irreverence and off-beat attempts at humor. As he stepped into the room, the Gray Jedi was met with only darkness. His footsteps faltered for a moment as he took a moment to glance back at Stahoes. His master did not pay him and heed, looking away from the doorway. It was clear that beyond this point, he was on his own.
Taking three steps into the darkness, Janos became acutely aware of the silence in the room. Further in, he could sense the presence of someone or something. All questions were swept away as the first lightsaber crackled to life.
As the first beacon of purple light illuminated the Anzat’s face, two more weapons activated at different points, with Mactire being bathed in green light, and a fiery red revealing the lady Tasha’Vel. More followed suit in flashes of purple, white and even yellow. As far as he could see, he had been brought before the whole of the Clan’s leadership. What had he done?
Janos froze in place for a moment. A chill ran down his back when he heard the snap-hiss of the lightsaber activating behind him, and saw the familiar sapphire-hued light cast a shadow behind him. It was a trap!
“Every deed, every action has a due attached, has a reaction.” Bentre breathed, his voice was nearly a whisper as the Equite stepped around his apprentice. As he locked eyes with Janos, the Acolyte felt pinned down to the spot. “Now kneel.” As though his body lost all will of its own in the face of the assembled. As Bentre raised his own weapon above his head, Janos eyes dropped to the ground.
“In front of these assembled of the respective House Summits, for your actions over the last few months, and a strive for excellence-” Janos could barely comprehend the words he was hearing. “-upon the recommendation of myself and approval by the Summit at large, I hereby-” The apprentice heard his master pause as the weapon lowered toward him, floating above one shoulder before being lifted away again. “-raise you up in the eyes of the Clan, to join your fellow peers.” The weapon was lowered within nearly-touching distance of the opposite shoulder. “Rise as a Knight, my brother, with all the rights and priviledges associated.”
Janos looked up at his master, disbelief in his eyes. The Corellian was smiling down, and extending a hand. The rest of the assembled people began to cheer.
It had finally happened. He had made it.