Borleias

[Aira Cadan]

I slept well, and didn't dream. I woke when I heard Aelyn moving about, opted for a sonic shower, and threw on a basic outfit of khaki cargo pants and a black shirt, low walking boots and a light jacket. I owned a Jedi robe, but rarely wore it outside of Jedi temples. I completed the ensemble with a pale blue scarf wrapped around my neck.

 

Heading to the cockpit, I watched as we came down. I had never been here before, even though I was familiar with it tactically from back during the war. I was glad we'd be visiting under more peaceful circumstances. My fellow soldiers had always joked grimly that they got to see the galaxy, but they got to see it burning.

 

We landed and once the ship was locked up, we set off through the quiet early morning streets. The Jedi network had let me know that there was a hotel here in Laikos that welcomed Jedi and let us stay for free, and so we turned our feet towards the Blue Nerf Hotel. As we walked, I winked at Aelyn. "So? I know you have strong impressions of places. What do you think of Laikos?"

[Aira Cadan]

"Hmmm, not really," I replied. "Well, I guess sometimes. There are times when the Force leads a Jedi to a certain place, a certain planet even, and then it's up to the Jedi to put the pieces together and find out what they are supposed to be doing. But the reality is that it doesn't often take much searching. Jedi don't have to go looking for trouble; it usually finds them. And if they--we---were called for another reason, then the Force usually works it out for us. Take Chandrila for instance. I was there on a seemingly random layover, but the Force had a plan for me, and it led me right to you."

 

We turned a corner and kept walking. "In terms of the darkness you're sensing, it's probably both, and they interact with each other. People are poor because of malevolent acts, and poverty drives people to malevolent acts. It can be a chain, a circle of darkness. Sometimes people can't even help it. They're born into the cycle, and they can see no way to break free from it. It becomes all they know." I paused. "Growing up on Adumar, I saw that a lot. Even in my own family. My parents were the first in my family to receive any decent education, and it was because of a lot of striving and sacrifice on the part of my grandparents. But it broke the chain, and my sisters and I were educated, and I'm a Jedi. For my family, the cycle is broken. But there are a lot of families out there that won't get that chance."

 

I could sense Aelyn's longing to help them. "I know you want to help people like that. Don't lose your compassion; it's central to a Jedi's life. We should help those people as we are able. But often we are called to larger acts, to be a shield for many. The Jedi are not a humanitarian group. We're guardians, negotiators, protectors. We have power, which means we have responsibility. We focus on the source of the sickness, not the symptoms."

 

We arrived at the hotel, and I sighed as we went in the lobby. "I'm not sure I'm making myself clear." We booked a double room and took the turbolift to the 4th floor. The hotel was a bit old, but clean. I used the refresher, then took a seat in one of the two chairs arranged by a window. It was still too early to really be out and about, and the meteors wouldn't be out until tonight. It was the perfect time to work on some of Aelyn's Force skills.

 

"Let's meditate for a bit," I suggested.

[Aira Cadan]

There was something so calming about starting my day out with some meditation. Many Jedi referred to it as "centering oneself", and I liked that expression. It felt appropriate. It was like getting my head on straight before the twists and turns of the day could set in. And it was a great way to remind myself to be open and constantly listening to the Force.

 

For about ten minutes, I was silent, just floating in the currents of the Force. There was some particular reason the Force had drawn us here, that much became clear, although I wasn't certain exactly what it was. That was okay. It would be revealed in time. And maybe it was something as simple as getting Aelyn some solid training for the basis of her future career as a Jedi Knight.

 

I could sense my padawan's lingering apprehension. She was still taking her first steps into this world, and her life had changed drastically. It was normal that she'd require some time to adjust. I could tell that she still wasn't convinced she had what it took to be a Jedi. It reminded me of my early days--although I had been so excited about the prospect of having my dreams come true that I hadn't really thought about it until I was practically a Knight. It was only now that I could see how much I hadn't been ready.

 

Finally, I broke the silence. "Each Jedi is able to sense the emotions and feelings and lives of those around us. You've already had some practice with this. The farther out you extend your senses, the vaguer the impressions will become. It'll always be harder to read someone at a distance than it will be to read someone right next to you. I can sense that right now, you're working on expanding your sphere of influence as far out as you can. Now reverse it. Pull your senses inward, into this room, into yourself, and then even deeper, into the Force itself. In essence, your conscious self will disappear into the Force." I put a hand on her arm. "It might be freaky at first. You might feel like you're going to float away and lose your tether to reality. But I'll be right here, anchoring you."

 

Some Jedi had particular aptitude for this, and they could vanish from the Force entirely. I didn't expect Aelyn to be able to go that far, but I did hope that she would be able to pull her Force presence low enough that she'd be able to hide herself from active searching.

[Aira Cadan]

Aelyn continued to display a hyperawareness of herself. It was a great trait in a Jedi padawan, and it made my job easier. I remained silent as she tried again, and this time, she succeeded.

 

I let her drift for a few moments, then squeezed her hand to signal that she could return to normal. "Excellent," I said, dropping her hand once I could sense her presence returning to normal. "That skill has both a philosophical and a practical use. It's important to be aware of yourself, of your feelings, and of how the Force is speaking to you. On the practical side, however, it's useful when you need to hide from other Force users. If you don't, you might as well be holding a big neon sign saying 'I am here' in the Force." I demonstrated, shrinking my presence so that Aelyn wouldn't be able to sense me. "It's useful anytime you're being hunted, or it'd be dangerous to expose the fact that you're a Jedi. I know you might not want to think about that, but the sad reality is that it will happen to you at some point. The past few months when I was undercover with Black Fist, I was keeping myself very closed down the whole time, in case a Sith discovered I was there and blew my cover."

 

I paused for a moment. "I have a question for you, Aelyn. Do you think the ends justify the means? How far would you be willing to go to help someone?"

[Aira Cadan]

I nodded. I appreciated her feelings, but I wanted her to really think about this. "You wouldn't kill in self-defense. That's a good quality in a Jedi. We must always be willing to sacrifice ourselves for others, even if that means sacrificing our lives. But, let me give you an example perhaps a little closer to home. Imagine that Vladimir Faust was threatening the life of your father, and it was in your power to stop him. You could kill Faust and save your father, along with all the future innocents Faust would harm--or you could not act. Your father would die, and Faust would escape. I know, it may be far-fetched, but think about it. In that situation, what would you do?"

 

Aelyn might not have an answer, and that was alright. But she had to think about these things. It was helpful to know yourself, to know how far you were willing to go. "While you're thinking about that, think about this too: why do you think that Jedi, who value life so much, carry weapons that can kill as easily as lightsabers can? Why don't we carry non-lethal weapons?"

[Aira Cadan]

I nodded. Her answer was fine for now. "Not wanting to kill is good, Aelyn. A Jedi puts extreme value on life--all life, no matter what it looks like or where it comes from. And lightsabers are indeed excellent for defense, and good at non-lethal violence too. After all, if you cut a man's hand off, he's quickly too busy worried about his lack of a hand than he is interested in continuing to fight. Anyway, we can drop this subject for now."

 

I tucked a strand of hair behind my ears. "I have another question for you. I'm sure you've heard it said that Jedi are the 'guardians of peace and justice in the galaxy'. What do you think that looks like on a daily basis? What is peace? What is justice? And what does it mean to be a guardian of those things?"

[Aira Cadan]

I nodded. "Those are good definitions, and your definition of what Jedi do is accurate. But you said justice is treating people fairly. What is fair? Who decides? How do you know what is the best, fairest thing to do in the situation?"

 

Suddenly I smiled. "Sorry if this feels like an interrogation. But I want to make sure you have a foundation of philosophy, for we often have to make really difficult moral or ethical decisions. People will also look to us to solve their problems. So how do we know what to say, what to do?"

[Aira Cadan]

Aelyn's voice trailed off mid-answer, and my head came up. I reached out with the Force, but didn't feel anything abnormal. I frowned. "No. What did you sense?"

 

All I could tell was that the Force was swirling around my padawan.

[Aira Cadan]

I reached out with my own senses, and got the strangest feeling from the Force. It almost spoke to me in words. It was as if it was saying this is hers... I was astonished. Was this what it was like to be a master? To trust in the Force to guide not only oneself, but also one's padawan? It was beautiful and brilliant and...exactly what I should have expected from the Force.

 

"Listen to the Force, Aelyn. It's speaking to you, drawing you. There is someone it wants you to help. It'll be easy to be distracted, so focus. Follow your gut. Trust your instincts. Let the Force tell you where to go." I smiled a little. "It won't lead you astray."

 

In the meantime, I could guide her and help her. I rose to my feet, holding out a hand to pull her up too. I put my boots back on and slipped my lightsaber into a pouch on my belt. "Lead on, padawan."

[Aira Cadan]

I followed as Aelyn led the way through the early-morning streets. I found it interesting that she chose to walk; clearly wherever the Force was leading her, it was close.

 

Suddenly, she asked me about the war. I sighed. "The war was terrible. Horrendous. And the Republic wasn't innocent. There was a lot of blood on our hands. Hear it from me plainly--there is nothing good in war."

 

I paused. "But Onderin always said that there was good in why wars are fought. And I think he was right. Sometimes you have to take a stand. You have to step forward and say 'no more'. And you have to fight to make the future a better place. That was why I fought. I didn't want to see the galaxy fall into the chaos it would fall into if a Sith-led Empire ruled. That would make so many people miserable, for a long time. I knew the war was terrible, but in the end, I felt that some suffering now was better than lots of suffering in the future."

 

I shrugged. "And despite the state of things now, I think it was worth it. The galaxy is strange and messy and chaotic, but overall, we're at a much higher level of peace than we have been in a while. And that's good."

 

We turned a corner and I saw Aelyn hesitate, then pick a direction and keep going. I had my own senses open, but couldn't pick up on the particular thread she was following. There were many cries for help all around us, but the Force was leading us to one in particular, and we, as it's servants, would answer.

[Aira Cadan]

Aelyn had already learned one key skill of being a Jedi. She knew how to get into trouble quickly.

 

We jogged around a corner and entered a warehouse. The Force told me clearly that the beings inside were in varying states of awareness, and the smell told me that they were addicts. The scent of spice was heavy on the air, along with fumes of other drugs. They were beings that no longer cared about life, the desperate and downtrodden, the hopeless and helpless. And my heart was flooded with compassion at the sight of them.

 

They were riled up, all focused on one girl in particular--that is, until Aelyn spoke up. Then they were suddenly very interested in us. Aelyn backpedaled, suddenly nervous. "Maybe we can talk about this?" she asked.

 

The girl they had been closing in on suddenly shrieked, sending a wave of raw Force energy through the room. I staggered as it hit me, but kept my feet. The remaining vagrants were angry now, riled beyond sense by the attack, and I knew this was about to get out of hand.

 

So I stepped forward, my hands spread. Gently, I practically oozed the goodness and peace of the Force, causing it to radiate outward in calming waves. It was a peace such as these poor creatures hadn't experienced in a long time. They all stopped advancing immediately. Those holding makeshift weapons dropped them. A few even started to sob. "Peace, my friends," I said quietly.

 

After a moment or two, they dispersed, leaving only two bodies on the ground. One was clearly dead, stabbed to death it seemed by the other one, a teenage girl with red and purple hair who was now slumped unconscious on the ground. "Aelyn, is this who you sensed in the Force?" The girl was clearly Force-sensitive, and just as clearly in a terrible state. I knelt down to check the body, and confirmed he was dead, then placed my hand on the girl's forehead.

[Aira Cadan]

I rose and followed Aelyn after a minute. "Do you think the authorities will come?" I asked her. "Look around you. Does it look like they care about these people?" I shrugged. "They might come. But what do you think they will do? Do you think jail time will help that girl?"

 

I put my hand on her shoulder. "Think like a Jedi, Aelyn. What can we do to help? What can we do to fix this situation? How can we bring peace and justice here?"

 

I also had in the back of my mind the fact that the authorities might not be the biggest fan of us. If they did come, I'd make sure we left the scene in time. Kirlocca had said to keep a low profile, and anytime police got involved, it was the opposite of that.

[Aira Cadan]

I shook my head. "Aelyn. You're a Jedi now. Stop thinking and feel. Use the Force. Listen to it. It led you here--it will not just bring you to a place and throw you in the deep end without providing you the wisdom to know how to handle the situation.

 

"You're right. We can't just fix them. There is no quick fix for people like this. So: what are we going to do?"

 

I hoped she would be able to look past her agitation and realize what the Force was saying. It was speaking to me very clearly which path we should take. I knew it would be speaking to her, too, if only she was able to reach out and listen to it. My comm twittered. "Take a moment and see if you can discern what the Force is saying," I said.

 

Stepping away, I activated the comm. It was from Master Kirlocca. His words to stay active in the galaxy came as a surprise, although given Xae-Lin and Jaina's information, I wasn't surprised by Master Raikanda stepping down. I activated the comm link and sent my reply, casting my vote for the new grandmaster.

 

Shutting off the comlink, I returned to Aelyn. "Well?" I asked softly.

[Aira Cadan]

As I had hoped, Aelyn got it once she calmed down enough to let the Force lead her. Once CoreSec arrived, I didn't say anything, letting Aelyn take the lead. I was going to speak up and give a good reason for us to accompany the girl, but the officer didn't have a problem with it, so I didn't need to.

 

It didn't take the cops long to clean up the scene and gather the evidence. The journey to the precinct wasn't long in the officer's speeder. He asked us a few more questions along the way, but I could sense he had long stopped truly caring about figuring out this crime. To him, it was pretty clear that the girl had killed him, and he was all too happy to take Aelyn's word as further confirmation. I could tell he saw this a lot, and it saddened me that he had grown hardened to it. But then, I had seen the same thing with many of the soldiers in the war. Force, I had experienced some of it myself. You almost had to detach a little if you were going to be able to sleep at night. I remembered the first time I had been in a battle. With my natural empathy, I had been almost overwhelmed by the pain and suffering and death around me.

 

For a moment I was disconcerted. What had happened to that girl? Had I lost that sense of the true sanctity of life? Just looking at Aelyn was a reminder of what I used to be. Perhaps it was a hint from the Force. I'd have to meditate on it further.

 

"This way," the officer said after we had arrived at the station. "Just a few questions and we'll have you out of here."

[Aira Cadan]

Liv was not happy. I suppose I didn't blame her. "You're at Archiban Kimble General Hospital. You're being treated for severe drug overdose. The pain will pass in time, but the doctors said you can't have a strong dose of painkillers given what you're in here for." I shook my head. "My name is Aira, and this is Aelyn. Do you remember what happened? We found you in a warehouse, surrounded by people, with a knife in your hand and a man dead at your feet. We got you to the hospital, but CoreSec is investigating..."

 

I hoped I wasn't overwhelming her, but she needed to know the reality of the situation.

[Aira Cadan]

I shook my head. "You have a chance here, Liv. The doctors can help you overcome your drug addiction. It'll be long and rough, but it'll give you a new chance to make your life better," I said quietly. "They can give you the help you need, and then you won't have to live in bondage anymore. But it has to be your choice."

 

I hoped the woman would choose to take the second chance. In the meantime, the nurse had told us that if she asked for drugs, we could give her a low dosage that would help wean her off the drug without having to quit cold turkey. I offered her the small capsule, clearly a much smaller dosage than she was used to. "The hospital is going to try to wean you off it regardless as long as you're here."

 

After a moment, I tried to get her to open up. "Why did you start taking carsunum in the first place, anyway?" I asked. "How did you get here?" My tone was gentle and compassionate. It was heartbreaking to see such a young woman with her life so messed up like this.

[Aira Cadan]

"You can't keep running from the pain," I added quietly. "It will always catch up with you until you deal with it."

 

Then I fell silent, waiting to see what Liv would say. She was at a branching point. Which direction would she choose?

[Aira Cadan]

It seemed like the girl was ready to take a chance to get better. I was encouraged. But then something happened. It was unlike anything I had ever seen. Some...spirit of some sort maybe? It started to speak out of Liv's mouth as her body slumped into unconsciousness.

 

I immediately put myself between Liv and Aelyn. Fear shot through me, but I bled it into the Force. I had never seen anything like this before. Perhaps it was a Sith spirit of some sort? But it wasn't speaking like one...

 

Regardless, I trusted my instincts, and my instincts were telling me to get the kriff out of there. I stepped backward, firmly pushing Aelyn towards the exit. I said nothing, but the urgency in my look must have convinced my apprentice. We left the room and headed out of the hospital, making our way back to our hotel in silence.

 

Only once we were back in our suite did I finally breathe easy again. "I have no idea what in the galaxy just happened."

[Aira Cadan]

I slowly nodded. "I think you're right, Aelyn. I don't know what's happening, but if anything was made for a Jedi to get involved, it was that."

 

After grabbing a late breakfast, the two of us headed to a gym, where I knew we could reserve private rooms. Shutting the door behind us, I turned to Aelyn. "Alright," I told her. "Today we're going to work on some physical skills. Jedi can use the Force to increase our abilities." Reaching out with the Force, I leapt vertically, slapping the ceiling with my hand before landing gently. Then I used the Force to dash around the room in a blur, faster than the eye could follow. Lastly, I centered myself and slowly began to levitate several inches off the floor.

 

Letting out a breath, I planted my feet on the ground again. "Your turn," I told my padawan.

[Aira Cadan]

Aelyn quickly demonstrated what a fast learner she was, picking up on the new skills with no problems. Well, other than slamming into the wall. Seeing as she wasn't hurt, I chuckled. "Great job," I said, reaching down a hand to help her up. Her wry comment once she was on her feet caused me to laugh again.

 

We moved back to the center of the room. I stopped and grabbed some small lightweight balls. "Alright, great. So you've figured out how to do them. Now the trick becomes being able to do them without thinking, or when you're distracted, or as a defense mechanism. I want you to try again, try combining some of those, and I'm going to try to distract you." I tossed one of the balls in the air and caught it again. Soon I'd be pelting her with them. I grinned.

[Aira Cadan]

Aelyn's emotions suddenly went from thrilled exhilaration to quietly serious, and I knew she had suddenly realized the point of the exercise. "I see you realize what this is all about," I said, handing her a water bottle off the rack. "You know that Jedi are often in dangerous situations. Each of those balls I was throwing could have been a blaster bolt. You need to learn to evade them--in order to protect yourself and others." I put a hand on her shoulder. "I know you don't like to think about it, but part of our job is to put ourselves in those situations so others don't have to."

 

I glanced at my chrono, noting that we had already been here for a while. But I wasn't going to let up. "We can't afford a break, Aelyn. We need to build up your stamina. Tap into the Force to rejuvenate yourself, and let's go again."

 

I sensed her reluctance, but she wasn't going to disobey me. We began the exercise again, and I varied my attacks, adding more than just balls to the mix. None of the equipment in the room was safe. Aelyn was clearly more distracted, but as she went on, she began to gain the clarity of focus that the task required. I was pleased to see that she was able to put her feelings aside when the job called for it; that was a key aspect of being a Jedi.

 

After 45 more minutes, I finally let her stop. Both of us were sweaty now, although Aelyn much more so. We both grabbed water to rehydrate our bodies, and I decided that I wouldn't waste any time. "Aelyn, what do you think is the nature of the dark side?"

[Aira Cadan]

I shook my head. "Do you think the ends justify the means? There'll be times when you have to make a decision, an ethical or moral decision. Sometimes you'll have to choose between saving one, like Liv, and many, like the rest of those addicts. How will you make that decision?"

 

I wanted to give her as many opportunities to say it as I could. "You speak of evil and the dark side as remote. But you just saw a manifestation of it. It's not mystical, it's real. When you get down and dirty, the dark side is always there. What will you do when it speaks to you? What do you think it will say? Remember, the dark side will always offer you the quicker, easier path."

[Aira Cadan]

I put a hand on Aelyn's shoulder as she collapsed back on the bench. "That is exactly what we have to do. We have to trust the Force. It led you to help Liv, and Liv specifically. It doesn't mean we don't have compassion for the others, or try to help them if we can, but the Force made it clear that Liv was the one who we could help. Everything happens for a reason, and the Force guides us to do things that have lasting ramifications for good in the galaxy. When it comes down to it, it's the everyday person that a Jedi should be helping. And yeah, sometimes the Force calls us to bigger things, but I've found that those things always start on the individual level. I mean, take what happened in the Death Star battle. Do you think I went into that fight thinking that my actions would lead to a galaxy-wide ceasefire and the formation of a new government? No. When I looked into Raven's eyes, all I saw was one young woman, and a chance to make things better for her and for her people and for mine. My focus was that one individual skirmish; everything that came afterward was a ripple effect. Who knows what repercussions helping Liv will have? Perhaps it will somehow affect systematic change for all of those poor beings we encountered. We may never know. We simply have a choice; a choice to be obedient to whatever the Force calls us to do, and leave the results up to it. It will use us to accomplish it's purposes if we only listen and do what it guides us to do."

 

I squeezed her shoulder. "Maybe you're not ready to believe that, and if so, I understand. A lot of people don't even believe in the existence of the Force. I can only speak from my own experience, and trust that as the Force speaks to you, you'll realize the same things I have."

 

I dropped my hand. "But you didn't answer the second part of my question. What do you think the dark side will say when it tempts you? What do you think it will tempt you to do? Or maybe you don't know yourself well enough to answer that question yet? Not everyone does."

[Aira Cadan]

I nodded. "That's alright. The dark side will tempt you at some point. My job is just to make you aware of that and give you the tools to resist it as much as possible whenever it does try." Aelyn still didn't really believe enough to be a Jedi. But that was alright. I didn't expect her to learn everything in the course of a few short weeks. Even if our Order today didn't train people for as long as the Order did in the time of the Republic, there was still much for her to learn before I would call her a full Jedi.

 

Then she brought up the war again. I sighed. "It was worth it, Aelyn. I fully believe that. The Empire run by the Sith was defeated. The Sith are even being actively hunted now, which means that trillions of innocents have a better chance at living out their lives in peace instead of in fear. To me, that makes it worth it. The soldiers that died did so because they believed it too." I crossed my arms. "I know your philosophy is different than mine, and that's fine. I'm willing to answer any questions you have further about it."

 

I dropped my hands to my sides. "As for the future, don't worry. Until you learn to trust the Force instinctively, I'll be here, and I'll always be around if you need guidance. That is, if you'll take it from a soldier-turned-Jedi like me."

[Aira Cadan]

"Yeah, we're good, go ahead," I replied. "You know, why don't you take the afternoon off? Do whatever you'd like. We'll make sure we see the--what was it, a comet?--tonight." I could tell Aelyn needed some time to do some thinking, and I was happy to give it to her. "And then tomorrow maybe we'll go see that girl again."

 

I hadn't forgotten about the druggie girl, but I knew 24 hours clean would be good for her, and there wasn't much we could do until then. For my part, I planned on making some comm calls. Master Kirlocca had wanted us to keep in touch, and I wanted to update him on our status.

[Aira Cadan]

As Aelyn headed out, I took a deep breath and centered myself. The girl was a challenge. I wondered if I had ever asked this many questions to Master Onderin. Probably not, I mused. He was always off fighting another battle, and the war took us often in different directions. Honestly, it's a miracle I even was able to complete my training.

 

But that was, I realized, where the source of my recent uneasiness had come from. Who was I to train Aelyn? If I was honest with myself, I barely felt like a Jedi these days. It felt like I was just playing the part, an actor on a holodrama. Was it because of some lack of training on Onderin's part? Was it due the decline of the Order? I wasn't sure I was the best person to train Aelyn. Not only might I not make her a very good Jedi, but there was a greater risk--that a fault on my part could allow her to be corrupted by the dark side, and then I would have unleashed another monster on the galaxy. The possibility gnawed at me. I took another deep breath and immersed myself into the current of the Force. There was nothing I could gain by worrying.

 

I wished I could ask Onderin's advice. I knew he was here, somewhere, in the Force, but right now, I felt very alone.

[Aira Cadan]

As the Force flowed through me, I was reminded of the path that had brought Aelyn and I together. The Force had a plan for her, that much was clear. And I believed that path was with the Jedi. She would make a great one, I knew, if only she could get over her doubts and hesitations and just trust the Force. I didn't understand what the issue was. I had trusted the Force immediately, the first time I had felt it. I had known immediately that it was real, that it had a task for me. Perhaps it was because of how I was raised. My parents had always taught me that the Force guided everyone, not just Jedi. The Jedi were its tools, its servants--but the ordinary people of the galaxy were what made up the life force from which it flowed. It seemed that Ambassador Talis had raised Aelyn differently. I shook my head. The ambassador always had been a very practical man.

 

I rose and headed back to the hotel. Aelyn was already gone off exploring, so I took a sanisteam, put on some clean clothing, and sat down at the computer terminal. First, I sent a message to Master Kirlocca. I wanted the Wookiee's advice about Aelyn, and I wanted her exposed to other Jedi hopefuls and apprentices. I remembered the friends I had made during my first months, and how they had done wonders for helping me feel like I could belong in the Order.

 

Then I used the computer terminal to link into the encrypted Jedi archive access and downloaded some vids and manuals for Aelyn. If I didn't feel like my wisdom was good enough in this situation, then certainly the writings, memoirs, and lives of previous Jedi who had gone before might connect with the girl. I also included some educational vids about the broad different paths a Jedi could follow, hoping that Aelyn would be inspired by one. That would give our training some specific direction.

 

Once my work was done, I stood up and headed back downstairs, intending on a walk and perhaps a meal.

[Aira Cadan]

About an hour later, I found myself outside a small cafe bordering a tree-lined avenue. I had recently crossed into a nicer part of town, and the passersby grew richer and richer in appearance. I began to feel a little self-conscious. A Jedi could blend in in any environment, and it was not uncommon for us to associate with the highest ranking officials, but I had always felt uncomfortable around gregarious displays of wealth. It was one thing to meet with the Imperial Remnant Head of State; meeting with a snobby upper-class Borleiasian was something else.

 

The cafe seemed small and clean, though, and I was hungry, so I took a table inside and ordered a sandwich with local meat and fresh greens, and a small Coruscanti-imported scrai-drop soup to go with it. I stayed lost in my thoughts until the food came, and once it did, I ate quickly. After paying my tab and ignoring the way the waitress looked down her nose at my plain Jedi robes, I exited the cafe, glancing at my chrono as I did so. I had some spare time, but I figured I might as well head back to the hotel and wait for Aelyn to return.

 

As I made my way back through the streets of Laikos, a scream suddenly shattered the air. I immediately reached out with the Force, although it didn't take my Force senses to see the speeder careening out of control through the city streets, scattering pedestrians as it jumped onto the pedway. I dashed forward, dropping my cloak on the permacrete. The speeder was heading for a large open-air market that was just beginning to close up for the day. An application of the Force gave me a burst of speed, and I darted up beside it then jumped and landed, crouching, on the hood. The driver was a pale green Twi'lek male, although I wasn't sure if the green was his natural skin color or a clue to the source of the sloppy smelly liquid splashed on the seat beside him.

 

He swerved in an attempt to miss a Gran pedestrian and shrieked loudly. "It won't stop! It won't stop! It won't stopppp!"

 

That was enough information for me. I swung over the windscreen and got better footing. Igniting my lightsaber, I plunged it into the engine. It sputtered, and then as the momentum ceased suddenly, the driver and I were thrown from the vehicle. In mid-air, I released my lightsaber and grabbed the Twi'lek, using my body as a shield to break his fall and rolling together as we landed. There was a loud crash as the speeder flipped over and crashed into a fruit stand. After one final shudder, all was still.

 

After a moment, I rolled to my feet. "Are you alright?" I asked the driver.

 

He nodded. "You...why didn't it stop?"

 

I shook my head. "I'm not sure. I'll take a look at it if you'd like."

 

He nodded again. Emergency services were already converging on the scene. In the chaos, I slipped up to the speeder and took at look at the now-exposed undercarriage, pausing only to reclaim my lightsaber and stow it back on my belt. I focused on the brake systems. Everything was understandably damaged, but there was no sign of tampering. Finally, I pulled a hose and checked it, finding it empty of brake fluid. I shook my head. It looked like the brakes had failed due to poor maintenance.

 

I crossed back over to the Twi'lek, who was now sitting against a medical emergency vehicle with a blanket over his shoulders, sipping a hot drink. "There's no sign of sabotage," I told him. "It appears your brakes simply failed."

 

He looked a little sheepish. "Thank you so much. I would have been injured or killed if you hadn't stepped in."

 

I smiled slightly. "It was my pleasure. That's what Jedi do."

 

Clapping him on the back, I turned away. I gave a witness testimony to the local police investigating, then retrieved my cloak and continued back to the hotel. I arrived to find Aelyn already there. "Hi," I greeted her. "How was your day?"

[Aira Cadan]

“Sounds good,” I replied. Aelyn and I got ready, which mostly involved me grabbing a heavier cloak. The nights got cold here this time of year.

 

Soon we were walking through the streets, heading for the outskirts and a specific hill that Aelyn had heard about from a local that was supposed to have a particularly good view. As we walked, my padawan started with some questions, this time focused on me.

 

“I don’t mind at all!” I replied. “Let’s see…well, I always dreamed of being a Jedi. I’m the daughter of a middle-class family on Adumar. It’s kind of backwater, and I never had the chance to get tested for Force-sensitivity. But I had heard of the Jedi—their exploits, their heroism, their dedication and self-sacrifice. There was nothing I wished to be more. But I knew it was a pipe dream, and I never actually expected it to happen.

 

“When I was eighteen, my parents took my sisters and me—we’re triplets—on a vacation to Coruscant. It was amazing, but as a bonus, we stopped by the Jedi Temple to get our Force-sensitivity checked. My sisters were negative, but I was positive.” I shook my head with wonder at how everything had worked out. “It was quite a shock to all of us, but I knew that I not only wanted to take the opportunity to become a Jedi, but that I also had a duty to. There are few people in this galaxy who are Force-sensitive enough for training; to waste my gift was unthinkable to me. We went home and I dropped out of school. A few weeks later, my family dropped me off at the Jedi Temple. The Temple at that time was on the same planet as the New Republic headquarters. I trained for a few weeks, and then I was in a class with other Jedi hopefuls when Onderin showed up, still in his admiral’s uniform. He watched for a while, then called me over and offered to train me.” I smiled at the recollection. “He warned me that it’d be an unorthodox training, but I didn’t care.”

 

We turned a corner. “My commission in the New Republic navy came as a result of that. Onderin felt that things would be easier if I had security clearance, as he was often involved in high-level military maneuvers. The war kept us apart a lot, but I still learned everything I needed from him over the course the following years, and I was also learning life lessons from the war.” I shrugged. “I’m not a very good Jedi, I don’t think, and that’s partly because of my training. It’s no coincidence that Onderin’s previous apprentices also went on to distinguished military or political careers, even if that often made their duties as Jedi come in second place. But I do what I can. The galaxy is a strange place.”

 

I glanced at her. “So if you feel like I’m not really sure what I’m doing, it’s because I don’t have much context for ‘normal’ Jedi training,” I said, half-apologetically.

[Aira Cadan]

The meteors were stunning. It was funny; I had spent so much time recently going, going, going, and most of it on ships or space stations. It was nice to go dirtside and simply enjoy one of the marvels of the galaxy for a change. It reminded me of my youth, of sitting in our backyard, staring up at the stars and wishing I could travel between them, having adventures.

 

But not long into the show, my attention was arrested by a man standing off by himself. There was something familiar about him in the Force, and he had an air of weariness, of clinging on to shattered hope, and of being directionless. I alternated watching him and watching the sky. When the show started to die down, I glanced at Aelyn, and gestured to the man with my chin, an unspoken signal that I was going to go talk to him before he could slink away into the night.

 

As I approached him, the memory clicked. "Ensign Davis!" I greeted him warmly.

 

"Captain Cadan!" He returned my warm handshake. "How the dickens are you?"

 

"I'm fine, fine. How are you? It's been a long time."

 

"Yeah, last time I saw you was that skirmish over Ilum. Heh, that was quite an experience."

 

I smiled. "Yes, it sure was. What have you been up to?"

 

He shook his head. "Came here after the war. This is where I'm from. No family to speak of though. It's been rough. Not many jobs out there; at least, not ones for an old New Rep navy ensign. Being a soldier was all I was ever good at. And now...well, I'm glad we're at peace, ma'am, but it leaves a lot of good men and women in the lurch."

 

"I understand," I replied.

 

"Anyway, it was good to see ya, Cap. If you're ever around again, let me know. Or if you'll be here a few more days."

 

"I will," I promised. "Take care, Davis."

 

"You too, ma'am." He headed off, leaving me with a strange feeling. I realized suddenly that I missed the war. I missed the battlefield bond. I missed being united with others. I didn't miss the death and cost of war, but there was something about it...The thought vaguely disturbed me. Resolving to think on it later, I returned to my padawan. "Well that was quite a show. Did it live up to your expectations?"