Adenna Alluyen

Adenna inclined her head briefly in acknowledgment and clipped her lightsaber to her belt. "Perhaps we should share what information we have? My Padawan and I are here on orders of the Grandmaster to discover what happened to this outpost as well as to investigate rumors of Mandalorian interference. You mentioned an offshoot group of some sorts and, judging on the bodies here, I can make a reasonable deduction that there are indeed Mandalorians here, though what their purpose is remains unknown to me. We do have a ship nearby, though I suppose you also have one since I see no signs of prolonged exposure to the native fungus on your armor. What sort of information were you seeking from this place?"

Adenna nodded calmly at this, though her mind was working furiously. The soldier mentioned a name and, to her surprise, it was one that she was familiar with. She wasn't quite sure where from, but the name "Tros Ardell" was known to her for some reason. She delayed the exploration into her memories so that she could address the new information he gave her. When she was done, she was not convinced to alter course. "You claim your purpose is different, yet you are here where I am. You hunt men who have attacked this 'Tros Ardell' of yours, and yet, there has been an attack on Jedi supporters here. Is it too much of a stretch to say that perhaps the two are linked? The Force has worked in more mysterious ways. That and I am not entirely convinced that our lives are entirely our own, left entirely to chance, and completely random. It seems that for some in this Galaxy, destiny has a strange way to make things happen to a select few that would not otherwise occur for normal individuals. I am one of those such individuals and I think that perhaps you are as well. "It may not be my purpose to find out who this other person you are seeking is, but I pay off debts. If, by assisting you, I am able to complete my mission, I will help you find this Mandalor you seek. If not, then we may still be of assistance to each other and can part ways whenever our paths divide."

Adenna felt a moment of disappointment in herself at her failure to recognize this soldier as a Mandalorian. Her memories were so incomplete that it often took specific efforts to remember something and she had not had the time or thought to delve further about this man. She showed little other than hesitation, but the revelation jarred many of her memories and connected some dots. "This explains some things," she said softly, and it did. The woman who was Adenna before would not have enjoyed being in this position, but the woman who was Adenna now had no such sense of pride. All that mattered to her was the completion of her mission and she would do anything, no matter how degrading or humiliating others may see it, to accomplish it as long as it didn't violate the Jedi's beliefs. The mission was paramount and though she believed some of her peers and even superiors would frown upon her next move, she would rather accept disapproval than failure. Pride was of the dark side, humility and serving were of the light side. "It is apparent that you are more familiar with what is going on here," she said blandly. She wouldn't openly admit the weakness of her memory loss--not until she knew she could trust the man--but she would not shirk away from what logic told her to do. "I sense no hostility or duplicity from you and believe that, for the moment, it may be possible for our goals to coincide. Therefore, I am willing to acknowledge your superiority in this situation and offer my assistance in whatever way you find necessary."

((Adrian told me he is forfeiting his place in the posting cycle until his character can become more relevant)) Adenna looked over the datapad without expression. She didn't sense any deception coming from this man, but that could mean only that he was a good liar or believed lies that had been told to him. She would attempt to verify what he had said, but it was unlikely that she would learn much here. She had been sent here for two purposes, though one of them now seemed to be answered. This enclave was a wreck and nigh indefensible even against nature. Before arriving here, she had believed that a secluded outpost was a good idea because it offered privacy and seclusion from prying eyes. Now that she got here and saw the type of environment this was, she realized that whomever built this enclave in the first place was a fool. This environment was too hostile to ever be considered safe and too unique in the Galaxy to be worth using as an environmental training center. If there was hostility among the locals, then she would need to see if an agreement couldn't be reached to settle things peacefully. The Sith had been dealt a harsh blow on Coruscant and seemed to have retreated from the Galaxy. Black Sun was equally silent, perhaps focused on their own matters. The Jedi were on the rise as was order and stability, so there were fewer and fewer reasons not to have a Jedi presence here if they were afraid of being attacked. "I have been sent to investigate as well," she replied. "There isn't much left of this place, is there? Why would anyone desire to take refuge here and, more importantly, why would there be people fighting to get them out? Jedi aren't ones to occupy planets they are not at war with against the wishes of the natives. If there were Jedi operatives attempting to rebuild here, there would have been no need for the natives to fight to push them out. Someone must have attacked with the intent to kill rather than simply for the inhabitants to leave. Either that, or there is something more going on here." As for the other purpose she was sent here, perhaps he could help. "The one who sent me also mentioned that there have been rumors of people called 'Mandalorians' being involved in whatever is happening here. Since you have been here longer than I, do you happen to have any sort of information on that? From all I have read, Mandalorians would not be fun to deal with if they were behind the attack here."

"I have learned to always expect fighting, especially in the forgotten places of the Galaxy that are still covered in the scars of battle," replied Adenna. "You are the one who mentioned killing, not ; and you were the one stalking us." She did have to consider the information she had been sent with. Or, truthfully, the lack of information. The Grandmaster had not given her much to go on, but that may not have been his fault. This planet was pretty far in the middle of nowhere, so it was entirely possible that he had not known anything to give to her. If that was true, she needed to gather all the information possible so that the Jedi may expand their intelligence information. This soldier seemed to know something, so she could start here. She turned off her lightsaber, but didn't clip it to her belt. "It is entirely possible that my information was incorrect," she admitted. "This is a remote planet and the Jedi have not had contact with it for some time. Notice that I did not claim your information was incorrect, merely that I had been told differently. You seem to know more about this place than I, so would you be willing to enlighten us?" She considered applying the Force to make him more malleable, but decided against that at this point. It was best to see how far she could get without resorting to such methods.

Adenna did not turn when she heard something drop behind her. She remained standing there with her lightsaber lit in her hand and a slight smile on her lips. She could sense no hostility from the man behind her. While that didn't mean he wasn't dangerous or treacherous, it meant that he wasn't going to attack immediately. If he was, then he would have done it while concealed, not after responding to her call and dropping down in the open. Keeping her eyes on Adrian, she responded to the new arrival. "It appears that either you or I are mistaken," she said calmly. "I was under the impression that this had been a functioning Jedi Enclave until a few weeks ago, yet you seem to think Jedi have been away from here for a good deal of time." Keeping the smile on her face, she slowly turned around to look at the armored man and took him in. The Force told her that they read as human, or close enough. By the lack of curves, the individual was either an unendowed female or a male, and from her experience most soldiers were men, so she placed him as one. He was armored as much as a heavy infantryman which was wise in a place such as this, though the metal wasn't the best of choices with the fungi. "So, soldier, which is it?" she asked. The smile vanished from her face. "And, more to the point, what are you doing here so ready to kill non-Jedi?"

Adenna frowned at the condition of the Enclave. Judging on the amount of rubble and blast damage the covered the place, there had clearly been a fight here. There weren't any more bodies or even really signs of them, but in a place like this, that didn't mean much. There were bits of broken machinery laying about, but nothing that would give them many answers. She didn't know who had attacked, but she kept having the nagging feeling that she knew who the rotting soldier had once been. She had seen material like that before, but she couldn't place where. Maybe if she saw the armor in its original condition, it could come to her, but for now, her brain needed visual or some other tangible reference point in order to properly recall memories. They made their way through the entrance room and then through a hall that contained small classrooms without incident. There was nothing present that gave any clues about what happened beyond the obvious battle damage and general disrepair of abandonment. After the first hall, they came to a much larger room that had plenty of damage throughout. Her eye caught sight of a large computer terminal through the clear glass of the breather mask she wore. The terminal was sitting behind a desk and she thought it might have served as the library records in this outpost. She didn't sense any threats, but there was something still out there, she was sure of it. Motioning for Adrian to follow, she crept along the outer edge of the room, trying to catch a better look. What she saw wasn't encouraging in the least. The terminal had a large black gash through its center and it didn't take a genius to figure out what had made such a mark. Not only was the gash likely to have ruined the system, but without the normal protections offered by the fully powered base, there were bits of strange colored rust like growths all over various parts of the terminal. She stood there silently for many long moments while considering their next move. Her senses kept telling her something or someone was out there. That alone was annoying and disconcerting enough for her to decide to head it off straight on. She had never been one to play games and preferred a straightforward approach even if it wasn't elegant. "Stay here," she told Adrian as she walked into the center of the room. A quick glance behind the desk showed that there was nothing but ruins. Someone had tossed a grenade around on the other side of the terminal and left nothing but a mass of splinters and char. With a sigh, she turned her attention outward once more. With a flourish of her hand, she ignited her orange lightsaber and held it angled toward the ground on her right side. Better to take this potential threat head on and get it over with instead of dancing around. Just in case the individual was one of the Jedi survivors that had stayed behind to monitor the outpost or wait for help, she announced herself in the Force by drawing upon it and displaying its power within her like a beacon of light that no Sith could ever properly maintain. On the chance that this wasn't a Force sensitive, she called out in a loud voice that echoed throughout the Enclave, "I am Jedi Knight Adenna Alluyen, sent by the authority of the Grandmaster. This is Jedi property, make yourself known and declare your intent." Of course, if what she was sensing was some sort of animal, then it would likely be attracted to the main room where she could deal with it once and for all.

Keeping her senses sharp, Adenna made a quick sweep of the perimeter while her Padawan conducted his own investigations. So far, nothing had decided to try to shoot at them, so that was a good thing. Her senses could pick up a great deal out there in the ever encroaching jungle that could be threatening, but nothing specifically aimed at either of them or the shuttle. Her left foot kicked something hard that shifted slightly but was heavy enough to remain where it was. When she looked down, she frowned at the sight of a slightly decomposed blaster rifle. She cast her gaze around her and noticed a few other bits of ruined metallic and stone debris and even some evidence of a recent fight. This discovery caused the corners of her mouth to curve downward and her brow to furrow. She poked at the weapon with her toe and briefly wondered if it was still operational, but the pitting on all metal surfaces and especially around the sensitive emitter cast doubt upon that idea. Adrian called out to her, so she turned her attention to what he had found. He was pointing to a small pile of something that felt wrong. She wasn't sure how he had spotted it, but he clearly had and that was the first sign that perhaps Master Kirlocca had been right to send him here with her. With a wave of her hand, the debris floated off of the small mound and off to the side. In her time as a Jedi, she had seen many unpleasant things. She had seen bodies blown to pieces in battle, people turned into little more than a dark red mist, and even her own severed hand lying on the ground. This easily topped those things from a purely repulsive standpoint, even if her still detached mind didn't react to it. It was a curiosity, one that she was sure could tell her a great many things if she were to study it with the proper equipment. "Fascinating," she commented. "The armor seems somehow familiar, but I cannot quite place it. He was definitely a soldier of some type, so I doubt that he was a local. I have no knowledge of Jedi regularly employing men in such heavy armor, so I do not believe he was part of the Enclave." She pointed in the general direction of the weapons she found. "There are remnants of blasters and bits of combat armor over there, though no bodies. It seems reasonable to assume this place was subjected to an attack by something more than simply the native wildlife. This does not bode well for the who were Jedi inside." They needed more answers and there was only one place that likely would offer them. If they found nothing there, they could always return and scour this area. "We need to get into the Enclave. I don't sense the presence of Jedi, so it has either been abandoned or all of its members have been killed. I wish to know which it was and if there are any internal records to be collected." She turned her senses directly onto the Enclave as she approached it and didn't detect any distinct threats. When she arrived at its damaged doors, she thought she caught a flicker of something within. Her eyes narrowed and she mentally replayed what she had sensed, trying to figure out what it was in this overwhelmingly foreign and life filled environment. After a few times searching her memories, she felt confident that there was some other sentient nearby. She crouched slightly and lowered her center of gravity. With a look back to Adrian, she put a single finger over the mask that was covering her face in the universal sign to be silent. With her lightsaber at the ready but not lit, she entered the Enclave and began searching out what she had sensed.

Adenna stared down at the hazy sphere below her and frowned. She knew little of this place, but she knew enough. It was not a place for the unwary to tread, especially not with a host of dangerous bacteria, fungi, and gases covering it. They didn't have full bio suits and even if they did, she wasn't entirely sure that she wanted to don them as they were restrictive. Their first stop would be the location of the Jedi Enclave to see if they could link up with those who were supposed to be there. Face masks would have to suffice until they could go into a larger city and get proper treatments against the plethora of infections that could be caught. It would be a good opportunity to see her nanites fared against a real world challenge or if her Padawan was able to address such invasions within his body. Their viewports fogged over as they traveled through the upper atmosphere and into the swirling mass of clouds covering much of this planet. They stayed within the upper atmosphere where most life existed and she hoped that they wouldn't have to venture down into the soupy mixture on their mission. They neared the location where the Enclave should be, but were not able to get any response to hails. Her frown deepened at this, but that didn't mean too much. It could simply be that the electronics had been corroded out by the metal eating fungus. She was glad that most of her own lightsaber was enameled wood, but she would still have to keep an eye on it for any corrosion of the metal parts near the emitter. It wasn't long before their ship touched down a hundred yards from the Enclave. They didn't even need to exit to see that something was wrong. Blast marks, pieces of armor and weapons, and a complete lack of welcoming committee were not good signs at all. "Be cautious," Adenna said as she handed a face mask to Adrian. "I don't sense other Jedi, but there is a lot of life around that is clouding things. There could be individuals or non-human species unfamiliar to me around waiting in ambush. Stay behind me and you should be okay while we check for danger. If anything goes wrong, head back to the shuttle. Do not hesitate to leave without me if I am not able to make it." Just before she lowered the ramp, she pulled out her lightsaber and gave him a grim smile, "At least this time we won't be facing a horde of Sith. That didn't work out too well for me personally." As soon as the ramp was down, she emerged and began looking around with both her eyes and the Force.

Adenna was glad to see that he was intuitive enough to realize the difficulty in learning to sense life while in hyperspace. "That is one of the reasons why we are so limited in what we can do here. Were circumstances better, we could try many different things, but we must make do with what we have. In time, I promise we will find a better place. I hear that Haruun Kal is a planet full of life and with a strong history in the Force. Surely we will have opportunities there to practice and expand your senses." For the rest of their trip, they alternated between working on his basic Force perception and physical combat. She also accessed the fairly limited database on board the ship to help familiarize him with various weapons and their capacities so that if he were to face danger, he might at least know what his enemies were capable of. It was mostly uneventful due to the limitations of their environment, but it was better than nothing. She was satisfied with what they managed to accomplish, but wished that they had more time and proper facilities with more room to move around in. Alas, the Force did not afford them such luxuries as duty called.

"Yes. . ." Adenna said in response. They had been working for well over an hour, but he was making little progress. She hadn't truly expected him to, but it had allowed her to gauge his strengths and progress. "I could share certain things with you, but I will not at this point in your development. Each person views the Force slightly different just as we each view the world around us differently. I would no more link you to my senses than I would attempt to download my life experiences, opinions, and prejudices into a newborn's brain without letting them first develop some on their own. There will come a time when we link our minds and I guide you, but this is not that time. I want you to be able to develop your connection to the Force in a way that is truly yours, not mine. "At this point in your training, I am trying to get you to learn how to recognize the whisper of the Force that is always there, but that you just didn't know how to sense before. I want you to learn how to feel the Force the way that feels most natural to you instead of having you seeing how I do it and struggling to mimic it. I will give you guidance where I can, but I will not do it for you or stunt your development. There are so many things that I could and will show you, but you are not yet ready to see or experience them. First, I want you to develop a bedrock foundation of your ability connect to the Force. Later, when you have that foundation, I will show you complicated things and we will progress together." She was not blind to his frustration and could sympathize with it. "Do not be concerned. You are very young in the Force. You shouldn't expect to master things with ease because, like all things, learning how to use the Force takes time and dedication. We have been working together for all of a couple of hours. That you haven't yet learned how to do everything I asked of you is not something to be concerned with. As I have said, my intent today was to discover where you are in your skills and connection to the Force. In time, we will work directly in expanding your abilities, but not just yet." She retrieved the stylus and motioned for Adrian to replace the cushion. "I believe this will suffice for working in the Force. If you want something I can show you, then I shall give it to you. All Jedi are required to learn at least the basics of combat. There are many reasons for this, namely the fact that Jedi have often been used to resolve conflicts and are frequently the target of attacks by anti-Jedi organizations and the Sith, but there are other reasons. Combat can be an art and as with much art, it can expand the mind. Not only that, but much of learning of combat involves physical activity which keeps us in shape. When I first arrived on Gala to join the Jedi, I was quite underweight and weak. I learned through a great many months how to strengthen my body and gain muscle through exercise, diet, and combat practice. "I plan on showing you some basic combat moves that will help in self defense. These are simple physical moves that do not need the Force to learn, but will be drastically more effective when you learn how to use it properly in the future. I want you to start preparing physically so when your mental abilities mature, they will be complemented by the physical rather than hindered by it."

Adenna recalled the stylus to her hand after it had fulfilled its purpose as a missile. "The Force is not something that can be quantified or analyzed in a lab. It is something that operates with impulses, with feelings and instinct. You must not try to control it or force it to do you will, but rather, let it guide you. At first, just like learning a new skill, it is something that must be consciously worked at. You must force your mind and body to react instead of thinking analytically. In time, you will find that, as with all reactionary habits, you no longer have to think about what you are doing because it happens naturally. "When someone throws something at you such as a small ball, do you have to think to cause your hand to rise up and grab it? Do you have to tell each foot to move forward when you are walking or running? Do you have to tell your hands where each key is on a datapad, or do you just type it? Each of those things is a learned trait, but it is also something done on instinct learned through practice and repetition. "Right now, your skills in foresight are not really present, but you have the potential. You had to learn how to catch, walk, and type, but now it is second nature. How many times did you fall down before learning to walk? How long did it take for you to learn how to type or catch a ball? The same will happen here. We will continue to drill over and over and over until you begin to catch on and your body reacts instead of thinking." She sat down on the couch and crossed her legs. "When I look through the Force, I told you that I see the world in a variety of colors and waves with new, almost indescribable sensations washing over me. It is how I view things and I know others see things differently. I told you that those waves and sensations are not things that can be seen by the physical senses, but rather include emotions, moods, energy, and even time itself. "I envision looking at any situation as though I were looking at a piece of canvas or flimsi. What is happening in the present extends along the X and Y axis and will include physical objects, intents, living creatures, and emotions. By looking at this level of the Force, I can see what is around me to a degree beyond the five physical senses. It can be useful, but that is only telling me what is, not what was or what will be. "To do that, I must take my visions into the third dimension and look along the Z axis. By going one way, I can gain limited insight from what was in the past. Memories, thoughts, and emotions are the easiest to see in the past. It is far easier to come upon a place and know that it has seen horrible pain or great joy because those things leave a sort of imprint that can be traced. It is difficult to describe, but perhaps it is like a scent that lingers long after its originating source has passed. By latching onto that single sensation, I can track it back through time with limited success to glean information. "If I want to go forward, I must look at things differently. Emotions and thoughts do not well traverse the currents of the future because they are constantly being formed. However, what can be easily seen is intent. Please note that intent does not equal what will happen, only what someone or even something intends on happening. It is easiest when a sentient or animal with higher intelligence is the source because they send out ripples of their intent and purpose through all three axises. Those are not the only thing that does that, though. Even something as simple as natural decay can leave an imprint, though it is harder to detect. Gravity, as well, can provide intent enough for you to sense it. In this way, a Jedi has limited capacity to detect threats from non-living creatures such as droids or even nature itself. I will go more into that later, as most of the time, it is the simple generic danger that we sense that allows us to react instead of reading the intent of the droid. "Surprisingly, I believe that even energy and inanimate objects can present a Jedi with a read of their intent, such as it is. I can block blaster bolts coming from an individual because I know both their intent as well as the 'intent' of the blaster bolts themselves. I can sense the danger that those packets of energy pose as well as where they are going. It is through this method that Jedi can counter the attacks of remotes and droids which have none of the living thoughts that organic beings have. I can also sense on an intuitive level where and how I need to react and move my lightsaber or body to block or avoid the attack. In reading the intent of the individuals or objects, I can avoid or counter them with my own intent, but to do that, I must, on some level, 'read' the future. "In this instance with this specific exercise, you would best be served not by focusing on the stylus itself, but rather on me. Look at the waves of emotion and intent I am giving off. See my aurora through the Force rather than simply through your eyes. Read where my focus is and attempt to determine what my plans are. In combat, we would be moving rapidly and it would be done instinctually just as you can move your feet in rapid coordination while running, but for now, I will let you take your time just as you had when taking your first baby steps. It is possible to shield or obscure your intent, but I will not be employing those methods since I want you to be able to read what I am doing. "I want you to learn where my focus is, be it where you can sense the stylus or in another place. You should be able to sense when my mind sends the command to the stylus and know that is when the attack will begin. You should, in time, begin to extend your senses to cover the stylus itself and its own form of intent when it starts shooting toward you. Even if you can't react in time to block it, if you can begin to sense where it is heading, that will be a step forward. "We will conduct this exercise many times until you begin to pick things up. I will not strike so quickly or harshly, but I will strike at you from many different angles and at different times into the drill. If you have questions, it is better to ask rather than live in ignorance."

((We jumped on Skype and IM'ed this a little to speed things up. Blue is Adenna Red is Adrian)) Adenna gave him a curt nod and began the test. There wasn't much room in the cabin to maneuver, but she would make do. There were several things she wanted to try, but she needed to build up to them. The first thing she did was to launch a quick series of basic jabs just to test his responses. There was nothing fancy, just standard attacks like what he might face from a common thug walking up trying to shank him. Had Adenna been some random thug on Onderon, Adrian probably would have simply drawn his blaster and set it to stun. But she wasn't some random thug, and he didn't have his blaster. He had a couch cushion for a shield. Nevertheless, even though he lacked much experience at melee combat, he sensed the form of Adenna's body approaching. With a reasonable degree of coordination, yet no hint of the Force providing anything other than a supernatural form of eyesight replacement, he positioned his pillow "shield" to block Adenna's thrusts. While he didn't catch all of her attacks, he was doing a decent enough job for using just the Force to see. After a minute or so of these types of basic attacks, she was satisfied that she had learned what she needed from him and was ready to move on to a more advanced attack. Since she was limited to only using the stylus itself rather than her full body, she was going to need to get slightly creative. This was a test of his ability to use the Force to sense and react to attacks, not his ability to wrestle or block all out physical assaults. She allowed the stylus to float out of her hand with a thought and positioned it for the next round of attacks. She used the Force to guide the stylus in the same style of fairly basic attacks, but this time she remained still and denied him the ability to sense her body and use that as anticipation. Without warning, she launched the stylus at him and looked on intently through both her eyes and the Force to see how he would react to this new challenge. Adrian missed out on sensing the first remote attack completely. The stylus pricked his left arm, indicating that he had to adapt or sprout innumerable bruises because of his failure. Adenna's body had barely moved, so Adrian thought she must be throwing the stylus, or possibly telekinetically manipulating it. He refined his senses enough to identify the stylus, though he found it easier to recognize it by the biofilm of various microbes coating thereupon than a more traditionally Jedi way of sensing it directly. With this, he could at least attempt to respond to subsequent attacks, though his responses were limited by the same lack of precognition that he displayed earlier. He could only sense the stylus' present location and extrapolate where attacks would land based upon a standard understanding of ballistics that any normal person would use to catch anything thrown at him. If the stylus were to suddenly change direction, Adrian would be left woefully under prepared. The doctor's responses were right about what she had expected, but that didn't mean they were acceptable. She kept up this series of fairly basic attacks for well over ten minutes giving him the chance to adapt and get a little more used to what he was facing. His successes increased slightly, but he wasn't using the Force to sense where her attacks would come from. She hadn't expected him to do so yet, but this was just as much a test of where his limits were as anything. After learning as much as she could at that stage, she decided to change things up once again. "You are doing well using the Force as your eyes, but be wary. The Sith and other experienced foes are tricky and deceptive. You cannot always rely on them to be upfront about what they are doing. You must learn to trust the Force, not just your perception of it. Give yourself over to it and let it guide you rather than using it to compensate for your physical senses. The enemy will do many things to trick you and alter your mind, so you must follow the guidance of the Force rather than what your own mind tells you." She recalled the stylus to her hand and began tossing it back and forth from one to the other. As she did, she poured the Force into the object and prepared her next test. When she was ready, she held both hands out as if they were both holding a stylus. Using the same move with both hands, she released whatever they were holding and once again, there was a stylus floating around the cabin. "In battle, you must make a quick decision based on what you know and what the Force guides you to do. Learning how to reconcile those two is critical for not just your survival, but the survival of those who depend on you. I do not expect you to completely abandon your senses or your logic, but you must balance them and decide when your mind is telling the truth and when it is not." She manipulated the Force around him for a few more seconds while letting the situation sink in for him. If he had been paying attention to her actions, he would have a sense that she could possibly be concealing something or perhaps that the stylus itself was a trick of his mind. What he could sense could be a deception entirely, or it could be real and she was tricking him with the hidden stylus. There was also a third option for him to consider: both could be fake and the stylus could be hidden on her person. He needed to use the Force, his mind, and his logic to determine where the threat was. "Defend yourself." With a gesture of her hand, she launched her attack and let him react.

Adenna frowned at the results of her test, but nothing was perfect. In her overabundance of caution, she clearly had made the nanites too weak to bypass the doctor's own immune system. It was a good lesson learned for her in the future. She was not so consumed with analyzing her failures that she failed to be bemused by her apprentice's thought process. She couldn't read his thoughts as if he were speaking, but with his mind so open to hers, she could get the gist of what he was trying to do. He was analytical, that much was obvious. It was probably a result of his medical training. Such a thing could be useful in many situations, but it could also prove to be detrimental when trying to listen to the whispers of the Force. Right now, it would be okay, but there would be a point when she would have to see if he was capable of acting purely in instinct. "So it would seem," she said wryly. "You show great skill in working with the microscopic for someone who claims to be so inexperienced. I must confess my lack of experience in working with individuals of your age that were Force sensitive. Perhaps your prior occupation has crafted your ability to use the Force to read people's bodies without you even knowing it. Not all use of the Force must be trained, many things will come to you naturally or through your life experiences." The floor wasn't exactly comfortable and her calves and feet had fallen asleep after sitting here for so long. "Perhaps we should try something more. . . energizing," she said as she broke contact and stood up. It was a simple matter to stimulate the blood flow in her legs with a touch of the Force, but there was still a tingling effect for a few seconds though it wasn't enough to slow her down. She looked around the small area and found something that would work for what she had in mind. "You were most concerned about your lack of practical combat experience. While I don't believe that I could get you combat ready in the time we have before reaching Haruun Kal, I do think I can at least make a start." A quick tug freed up one of the couch cushions which she threw to the doctor. The cushion was only about seventy centimeters square, but it would more than suffice for what she was wanting to do. Reaching into her pocket, she pulled out a ten centimeter long stylus and tossed it back and forth between her hands. Finally, she stopped tossing it and held it in her right fist like it were a knife. "This is my weapon and the cushion is your shield. I am an assassin and you are my target. You must use the Force to sense where my attack will be coming from and use your cushion to block it. You may use one or both hands. I do warn you not to rely on your normal senses because if you do, you will end up with a good number of bruises. I will be using the Force to enhance my attacks. "I will be trying various means by which to attack you, so you must sense the flow of the Force and my intent to counter my actions. Stay within the confines of this lobby. For the purposes of this exercise, you will constrain yourself to defense and will only utilize the cushion. I will only strike at you with the stylus and no other weapon or part of my body. There will be a time for more physical sparring in the future, but for now, if we were to fight while you were untrained, one or the both of us would likely end up hurt." She took a deep breath and began to draw on the Force. She had a few ideas in mind that would let her get the feel of where his talents were as well as allow him to slowly learn how to use the Force in a more chaotic environment. He had been surprisingly adept at touching the Force which she attributed to his advanced age as well as whatever experience he had before encountering her. She had the sense that he was more capable than he was letting on and wanted to see what she was dealing with. Her previous experiences had taught her not to assume with her students, and her own mistakes had made her cautious and led her to see the value of a slow but sure progression in things. She wouldn't make the same mistakes again, even if they had to start out small. "Are you ready?" she asked.

Trust. That was the key to any teacher/apprentice relationship. Adenna didn't know this doctor very well, but she was quickly learning. As he studied the new wonders that the Force could show him, she studied him. He was a man who spent his life doing his part in helping others. He was a natural for becoming a Jedi because he was already dedicated to serving and healing. She didn't yet know him well enough to know where his weaknesses might be hidden, but that would come in time. For now, he was solidly dedicated to doing his part and becoming a Jedi. He was also a quick learner. He was older and more mature than Sandy had been, and thus was more willing to do the mundane without the rebellion of youth. He was not corrupted or prejudiced by the dark side as Tobias had been, either. Even though he was older and, were the Force removed from the situation, infinitely her social superior, he was not arrogant and seemed to respect her experience in the Force. If he was willing to stand through the difficulties and overcome his hesitancy at the unfamiliar, she would be able to teach him a great deal. In a fairly short time, he would be her superior in the art of healing, and with his larger, potentially stronger body, he could become a powerful warrior for the light. Like her, he knew what it was like to work with the poor, the downtrodden, and the helpless and didn't come from a privileged military caste as most other leading Jedi had. If he held on to that, he would prove to be a most useful champion for those who most needed one. He was also ambitious, though not in a bad way. He saw a problem and wished to fix it even if the solution was beyond him. He the limits of his abilities expand with access to the Force and yet, wanted to push them even farther. It was noble, but she dared not let him overextend and burn out. He wanted to tamper with the fire that was her mind, and at this point, she wouldn't trust any but an experienced and master Jedi tread there. "Not yet, Adrian," she said, though her eyes were closed. "My mind is currently a treacherous place, not for the untrained to wander. Psychological trauma might not be contagious to normal individuals, but I fear that among whose who can use the Force, it is. Come too close now and you may find your mind damaged just as I did when I tried to heal Jidai Geki's mind. When you are stronger and I have healed more, perhaps, but not now. "Life is easy to track through the Force, but the greatest majority of the universe is not living. Stones, metal, synthetics, and even energy are all connected to the Force. You will not be able to sense the intent or feeling or life energy from inanimate objects, but in time, you will learn to sense their vibrations in the world of the living. If you see concentric ripples in a pool of water, you can make an educated guess that a pebble was dropped within even though you didn't see the pebble. Be careful in making assumptions, though. The ripples could have been caused by a falling pebble from above, but they also could have been caused by a bubble from below. In time, you will learn how different materials can feel and what causes the particular ripples in the Force, just as you can begin to tell the differences between various life forms. Only time and practice can give you senses that attuned." Rather than focus on that just yet, she had another idea in mind, a test of his abilities and her own. It took some concentration on her part to do what was needed and prepare, but when she was done, she had hope that it would work as intended. Still with closed eyes, she lifted her hand to her forehead. With a single finger, she rubbed some perspiration from it and pressed the finger against Adrian's forehead before withdrawing it. "You have an affinity for sensing the small and for diagnosing other people," she said. "I wonder, though, can you do the same for yourself? I have infected you with three nanites of my own formation. They will enter your pores, burrow through your membranes, and find their way into your bloodstream. You have thirty minutes to track and redirect all three of them to the surface of your left forefinger. They will not be capable of replicating and will break apart into their base molecules within forty-five minutes, so you will not be permanently infected. "Use the Force to look at your body and track the inanimate objects that are the nanites. They will not be intentionally causing harm to your body, but your organic cells will know them as strangers and react subtly. Once you find them, you must then carefully direct them where you wish them to go. Be cautious that you do not exert too much pressure or force on them or they will shatter and be lost." She did not expect him to succeed, but that wasn't the purpose. She wanted him to learn about his own body and how to begin tracking foreign intruders. Hostile viruses, bacteria, and even poisons were little different than the nanites and if he could start learning how to focus on those, he diagnose and possibly heal many others. It was a first step for him as well as her. She had not yet dared to use the nanites on anyone else. This extremely limited test would see if they had potential in being of some service to her in the future, or if they were indeed nothing more than a blight to be purged when their purpose was complete.

The trip to Haruun Kal would take a good amount of time, so as soon as they were in hyperspace, Adenna wanted to get started on her Padawan's training. The man was new to the Force, so he would need all the help he could get, even if it was just the basics. As soon as Tokala gave them the clearance to move around, she got up out of her seat and stretched. "I believe that you would benefit well with a little training," she said to Adrian. "There are many things I could show you, but all would require the ability to sense the Force in general. While being in hyperspace is not the best place to do it, you can still start to reach out and touch the Force sufficiently well to accomplish our goals." After eying the floor for a few moments to determine if it was clean enough to sit on, she finally shrugged and sat down cross legged. "Sit across from me until our knees touch. The physical contact will help me gauge your progression. Relax and take deep breaths while trying to clear your mind. "People sense the Force in different way, and each have their own way of interacting with it. I cannot tell you what you will experience or how your mind will interpret it. All I can do is show you the doorway and hope that you walk through it into a much larger world." She took a deep breath of her own and smiled faintly as memories of her own early training surfaced within her mind. "The Force is an ever present entity that cannot be truly defined, quantified, or contained. Some believe it to have a will of its own while others claim it simply is and has no direction, much as a giant river. If you wish to debate philosophy, we can do that, but right now, the point of this exercise is to allow you to sense the Force on your own so that you can begin to personally understand what it feels like. From that point, you can formulate your own decisions about the Force's nature while exploring your abilities under my guidance. "What you will experience will be unique to yourself and is something you should treasure. When I feel the Force, the world falls away from me. In place of my physical eyes, my mind's eye sees the world around me in a haze of blacks and whites. It was extremely disorienting at first and I couldn't see much. It was like walking through the world that was in a thick fog while having water in my eyes. Over time, as I began to learn how to use the Force, things cleared up. I could see physical things as clearly as I see them with my eyes, but I quickly found that I could see more. "Everything began to take on color in my mind's eye. Instead of a world full of black, white, light, and darkness, I could see a spectrum that was beyond what any physical eye could detect. Anger and rage were violent reds, envy was sickly green, and peace was a tranquil blue. I could see life as bright lights of goodness and murky shadows of pure evil. Sounds amplified themselves when I desired it and I could see the sound waves floating through the air. If I desired, I could sense heat and cold, life and death, pain and pleasure, intents and dreams. It was all there for me to see and understand, all because they are connected to the Force. "Then came the truly amazing part. Not only could I sense things that no ordinary individual could, but I could alter the universe around me. Time would slow down and I could move faster than I could ever dream. I could temporarily alter the hold of gravity around me so that I could jump to or fall from heights that would kill other humans. I could grab objects with my mind and move them where I willed. I could do more than simply feel what others were thinking, I could alter their very moods and thoughts. I could reach out and heal wounds or cause plants to grow faster. I could sense what people were going to do and react to it before they finished the thought. "All of this is what the Force can do for you, but you must first learn how to feel it, to sense it, and to let it flow through you. I will guide you, but you must do it yourself. You must find that part of you that allows you entrance into a whole new world. I will be here to help clear your mind, to give you peace, and to encourage you when you fail--and you will fail. "If you let me into your mind, I will lead you to the Force, but as I have said, only you can take the step through the door."

Adenna allowed her Padawan to go without a word. The doctor was correct in what he said from a generic standpoint, but he did not know the nature of the machines Geki had infected her with. They were more than just normal nanites, they were rooted in evil and had the potential to do harm without the intent of good. She would attempt to explain it in time, perhaps once he came into contact with the Sith or their deeds, so that he could better understand why she would despise the devices that ran throughout her body. She spent the half hour getting to know a little about their pilot, a short, non-Force sensitive Chandra-Fan by the name of Tokala. She had served with the Jedi for some time as a pilot or, when needed, mechanic and was frequently out on supply runs. She only rarely got to ferry around Jedi since many of them were pilots on their own and took their own ships or fighters. The shuttle itself wasn't very large. There were only two cabins: one for the pilot and one with a bunk bed for crew or guests. There was a small common area and kitchen, a refresher, and a couple of medium sized cargo bays. Other than the cockpit, there wasn't much else to the ship. When the doctor returned, she beckoned him up into the shuttle so they could depart. "There are only two cabins," she informed him. "The pilot will be taking the single unit while the two of us will be in the bunks in the crew cabin. You can place your things there and familiarize yourself with the ship once we make the jump into hyperspace. Until then, Tokala, the pilot, wants us strapped in."

Adenna looked up into her Padawan's eyes and replied, "These nanites are unnatural invaders into my body. They have their uses, true, but they came from a Sith and a particularly nasty one who has killed millions. I am using them now, true, but I know they can do just as much damage as good. Their original owner would infect others with nanites programmed through the Force to do terrible things to others. They are a weapon just as much as anything, and I do not wish to long be infected with them. Right now, I need them to rebuild my mind, but as soon as I can, I will purge them from my body lest the temptation ever arise to use them to harm cause me to tread upon the dark side. "Now, if you have nothing to get, we should get going."

Adenna's eyes narrowed and the corners of her mouth curved downward. "You do not want to go through what I had to go through to become infected with these nanites. They came from the psychotic Sith that gave me my injuries. It could have been transmitted either when he bit my tongue off or when he shredded my personality and memories. Either way, I do not believe you would want such potentially dangerous devices within your body. They are what is allowing me to rebuild my mind, otherwise I might seek to eliminate them myself." She allowed the darkness to leave her expression. "Get your things, I will meet you in the hanger." She took the next turn in the hall and started for what she hoped was a supply center. It took some questioning and a few wrong turns before she found what she was looking for. There wasn't much she felt comfortable taking, but she did help herself to a few more changes of the standard brown Jedi robes. They weren't quite the blue ones she preferred, but they would do. She already had weapons and wasn't fond of grenades, so she didn't need any more of those. Her Padawan had all the weaponry that he would need until it was time to construct his lightsaber. There were some foodstuffs that she could stock up on, plus two high powered comms devices. With all of that in a tightly packed carryall sack, she left the supply room and headed back toward the hanger to wait for the doctor.

"There are many Jedi who forget what it is like to live the life of mere mortals in the poorer parts of the Galaxy," Adenna said. "Too many are used to having all the latest technology at their fingertips with funds that are near unlimited at their disposal. I have never eaten so well as when I was among the Jedi, yet they take it for granted. I would never have dreamed of the type of medical attention available to Jedi and their allies, but they couldn't imagine not having it. Just being able to make a simple call--which is paid for by the Order--and be able to have a shuttle transport people around or even to be able to take one out with little more than a signature is astonishing to me. Sadly, so many Jedi have lost touch what it is like to be left truly without access to resources for a long period of time and have no way to relate to those they are serving. "Your native skills in the Force will serve you well. As I mentioned, most of your age find that they have already learned how to use the Force in basic ways through their subconscious. To answer your question: yes, there are many skills that Jedi need to learn in a classroom situation. Children and youth who are discovered early by the Jedi spend years doing just that. However, those who are older, such as yourself, frequently do not need such education. As you mentioned, you already have basic skills and abilities in the Force even without someone training you. You learned by yourself. To put you in a classroom to learn stellar astrography and the history of the Galaxy would be pointless, as would be putting you in a class with children aged five or six. You will learn things quickly, far quicker than children will, so your education will be different and more hands on. "While it would not be my first choice to go into any sort of field exercise with you so early, this does have its benefits. Believe me, we will be working fervently on our journey to explore and perhaps develop your abilities. It is a fairly long trip, if my memory serves me right. Whenever we can, we will be working in a more academic setting, but I also believe that fieldwork is a far better instructor than classwork. When this is finished, we will spend an extended amount of time, assuming we have that luxury, working in a safe place. Your Force abilities aren't the only thing you will need to build. You need to allow your body to develop through exercise and proper eating until you are more capable not just in combat, but in every way. A Jedi must master not just their mind, but also their body." She motioned for them to continue down the hall, "I suggest that you gather whatever possessions you have because I do not know if we will be returning here after the mission. I will get some supplies in order and meet you back in the hanger. Any further questions you have can be addressed once we are on our way."

Master. When the doctor called her that, Adenna's mind flashed back to her earliest years on Thalassia where slavers held power through fear, intimidation, strength of arms, and the puppet government they all but controlled. She had already known this, but to have someone call her "master" brought it back in a more... personal way. Instead of having cold, sterile knowledge of such events, she now felt the fear, the terror, and the desire to remain anonymous. It was an interesting feeling, even if she found it unpleasant. She stopped and lifted one finger on her fake hand to emphasize her point. "Never call me, "master" again," she said, not angrily, but firmly. "I am not your master and you are not my slave, not now and not ever. You may call me 'Adenna' in private and if we are in public, 'Jedi Alluyen' or 'Teacher.' I may be your superior in the Force, but I remember enough to feel awkward having someone who is a decade or more my senior calling me by my last name. Still, protocol must be observed in public for without protocol, the universe would collapse into chaos." They walked in silence for a few more paces while she considered how to respond to the rest of what he said. "I cannot speak for the last Jedi who made assumptions, I can only speak for myself. We all make assumptions, even if we don't know it. That is to be expected in this world otherwise we would be too paralyzed by indecision to function. That trait can be a problem if it is allowed to control us. I make it a habit not to assume without evidence or experience, but even I make mistakes. "What do I assume you can do? From what you said, I don't assume you can consciously utilize the Force at all. As with most Force sensitives who grow beyond adolescence, you have a subconscious ability to use the Force, even if you don't know it. That allowed you to sense that I was seeking you and that I was in need of something. Were you trained, you would have sensed my approach from a greater distance and would have had a much clearer idea of what it was I was needing, but that will come in time and with training. "Another assumption I have made is that you are hesitant, unsure of things, and most definitely uncomfortable with what is happening around you. I don't need to be a Jedi to see that, but the Force makes that clear for all to see. You will need to learn to shield your emotions, but again, I do not assume you know that. "I assume that you are at least a moderately decent doctor, even if you are fairly young for such a position. I do not suspect you are a specialist in any particular field due to your age, and unless you were rushed into service, you probably haven't been a doctor for more than a few years. I suspect that you will prove to be valuable in at least most normal medical emergencies and will only continue to grow so after some training in how to use the Force to detect and heal injuries. "I assume that you will not gain much from this mission due to your preconceived notion that you are not qualified or ready. This saddens me and I will be pleased if this assumption is proven wrong. Everyone should always endeavor to learn as much as possible about whatever situation they are in, Jedi or not. You need to release your reservations and accept what has happened. What is, is. I do not know what is going to happen as I have never been gifted in foresight, but whatever happens will happen and we can only embrace it on our terms or attempt to cling to the past until it devours us. "I assume that you are more capable of handling yourself than my last Padawan. I will not conceal things from you. She was but a young girl, not even fifteen years old. I was a fresh Knight with little field experience. She was headstrong and willful with little conception of the dangers the universe holds. Even then, I managed to keep her safe as long as she followed my orders. In the battle to liberate my homeplanet, she disobeyed orders to stay in the rear and observe so that she could be part of the action. That resulted in her being captured and tortured until a friend was able to rescue her. Some time after that, she once again disobeyed orders to stay away from several Sith we had captured and ended up getting killed by one of them. I would mourn for her, but my personal emotions toward her have not yet been recovered, so I can but look back at what happened and learn from those mistakes. In time, I will recover those feelings and I may not have the detachment I have, but I will deal with it when I get there. "Just like everyone else, Jedi aren't perfect." She held up her prosthetic hand once again and contemplated it. "We make mistakes and we must live with them. I assume that I shall make mistakes with your training, just as you will makes mistakes. I will never punish you for questioning me or a situation if you believe it to be in error. Only extremely arrogant individuals would do so. If I cannot justify myself to you or my superiors, then the decision is likely a faulty one. I would rather my potential error be exposed so I can correct it than to make another mistake. However, sometimes I will know things you do not and will insist you comply with my directions despite your protests. I cannot force you to do as I say, but should you not follow my instructions, I cannot guarantee your safety nor will I hold myself accountable for what happens. Of course, I must say that I cannot guarantee your safety even if you follow my orders, but I will not intentionally expose you to danger I do not think you can handle unless something more important is at stake. "I would not intentionally go into combat with you at this point because I assume you know nothing of combat. This mission is not one of combat, but of exploration. I suspect that what troubles are on Haruun Kal are either minimal or will be too great for us to handle alone. If they are minimal, then this will end up being little more than a social call and a good way to let you explore a little. If things are too great for us to deal with, then I will not hesitate to admit such and will immediately summon reinforcements. I am not a vigilante who thinks herself invincible. I am fully conscious of my limitations and have no problem asking for help. "I hope that some of this reassures you. You are always welcome to ask questions and I will attempt to answer them as fully as possible. I apologize for the length of my responses. For some reason, my psychological injury has left me with the need to fully and completely explain as much as I can on a subject. I will endeavor to minimize this as I recover, but perhaps for now, it will be a benefit rather than an annoyance."

"You are a capable looking man who I am sure has plenty of talents you don't yet realize," Adenna replied to the doctor. "I doubt you will be too much of a burden, but if you are, I will just overcome it as I always have." She gave a quick bow to the grandmaster. "We will depart as soon as we can get some supplies for the journey." Motioning for the doctor to follow, she exited the hangar and started toward the center of the Temple to find out where she could get more changes of clothes, some food, and some basic gear. "I apologize if this is not what you are used to, but in my experience as a Jedi, I found it is best to be ready for anything at any time. If you have any personal possessions you wish to collect, I am willing to wait for you to get them. We will have plenty of time to talk on the trip itself, but if you have any pressing questions or concerns that cannot wait, ask now."

A strange emotion invaded Adenna's mind as she heard the doctor speak with such passion. It took a moment to realize it was something called "bemusement." It took another moment to realize she liked that emotion that her old self had frequently experienced it. The doctor seemed to be a man of hard logic, one who relied on science, facts, and trusted procedures to guide his way. That was not always the Jedi way, though. Sometimes, you had to make a leap of faith and trust the Force and others to survive. He did have a point about the introductions though. She had not realized how fresh he was to the Jedi and thought that every Jedi recognized one of their grandmasters. Though his comment was directed at their grandmaster, there was a sudden impulse in her to answer for him. She stepped up in front of him and took a pointed look at his body and physical condition. Clearly, he wasn't at his best as was evidenced by the slightly loose skin around his body, but he was still far more imposing than she had been when she first joined the Jedi. He was older, and an accomplished man at that. I was not even twenty when I joined the Jedi, and I was seriously and chronically malnourished, with no discernible skills, and had only a life of terror from slavers to count for my experience. In a very short time, I joined with Grandmaster Kirlocca here to take part in one of the largest battles this Galaxy has seen in a decade of warfare. I did not do very well, but I survived and learned greatly from it. I was not at all prepared and was severely wounded. Why did I go in? I volunteered because I was needed. I was born with an innate connection to the Force and that set me apart from others and put me on a dangerous path. "You, sir, are no longer merely a doctor, as impressive as that is. You are a Jedi Padawan. I hope you did not join the Jedi because you thought it was going to be a soft, easy life. No, the Jedi's role is to stand against the evil in this Galaxy and serve as the shield for those who are innocent. Much of what the Jedi learn is done on the streets, in action, and on missions. You cannot expect to learn everything in a classroom because a controlled environment is not what we will be facing in real life. We will be facing danger, the unexpected, and the unknown. "I am not at my strongest, I will admit that. However, I am not helpless, either. I dare say that I am more than a match for almost any non-Force trained individual in the Galaxy and anyone in this room excluding Grandmaster Kirlocca. Even when I am not at my fullest, I am better than nothing. Tell me, doctor, have you ever been forced to pull multiple shifts even though you were exhausted and not at your best? The doctors I know do that quite frequently. They don't do it because it is optimal or because they like it, they do it because they must. "We seem to be needed. As pleasant as it would be to allow every Jedi ample time to rest and recover, evil in this Galaxy does not wait for that. The mission we are going onto is not one that guarantees combat. We are going to do some simple looking around and to check on an enclave. What if there had been an attack at the enclave? What if there were wounded individuals there? Your skills would become quite handy were that the case, while mine might not be so helpful. The Force sends us to places where we can learn things we need to learn and where we can help. We are not going on a combat mission. The grandmaster has given us explicit instructions to call for backup if there is any such threat. Not only that, but we have allies on the planet who can help as well should we need them. "I will not force you to come with me on this mission and I do not believe Grandmaster Kirlocca will either. For reasons we may not be able to see, he feels that you are either ready for such a task or that you would benefit and learn from being part of it. He is a powerful individual in the Force, far more than either of us. I have faith in him that he knows what he is doing despite my own personal weaknesses. Come with me and we can see what it is the Force has in store for you."

Adenna arched her brow at the strange and rather dirty woman who interrupted them. The woman somehow knew her name, though she didn't recognize her. There were a lot of people here, but Adenna's attention was focused on the Wookiee who was their superior and the doctor who it looked like would be joining her on this mission. Having no time to journey through the damaged portions of her mind to discover the identity of this woman and not knowing what else to do, Adenna merely nodded in acknowledgment of her greeting.

Her superior had given her an order, she had voiced her concerns, and he had acknowledged them without change. There was no choice presented to her, so logic dictated acquiescence. Something still lurking in the as of yet unclaimed portions of her mind whispered that she didn't always need to follow orders blindly, but she didn't trust that just yet. There were things trapped in her mind that she didn't know, things that could be tainted by the insanity that was Geki. She could only trust what she had carefully reclaimed and sorted, and that part of her said it was her duty to follow orders for the betterment of the Order and the Galaxy. "If you could give me whatever information you have on the situation," she responded, "I will depart as soon as a ship can be made ready." She really needed to learn how to pilot her own ship, but there were always other things interfering that took precedence. It was a limitation, one that she didn't enjoy, but she had managed to get by so far. She wanted to appraise the doctor further, but time was of the essence. In the presence of the Grandmaster, all things were secondary. Perhaps when he left the hangar, she would have time to sort through a few things while a ship was being prepared. She still needed to resupply here, especially if she were going to be going into a potentially dangerous situation. Despite what the Grandmaster said about entanglements, the Galaxy often didn't operate based on wishes or orders. It was best to be prepared for such eventualities in case they made themselves apparent.