Kalé

Disclaimer: Sadly, I do not owe Star Wars. Only Kalé and Kuno are mine. (Well and any of the other minor characters I invented) But I'm not making a single credit with this. Sniff...

Author's Note: I wrote this some time ago. meaning it's complete even before I start to publish it on . I already published it on another site, under a different username, so don't you come telling me I'm plagiarizing. I might have to get angry with you. I hope you enjoy. =) Oh... one more thing... it's gonna be 26 very short chapters... so I'll post 2 or more per day. =)

Chapter 1: Kalé

Kalé sat cross legged beneath the gnarled branches of the old oak in one of the side gardens of the meditation center of the Jedi Temple on Coruscant. As a young girl, she'd always thought that Master Yoda had to be a part of this particular tree – a branch which fell down, grew legs and arms, and walked away. She'd always avoided the tree, nearly always expecting some twisted wisdom to come from it to torture her in her sleep. Knowing the green troll as she did now, she knew he would be amused and in the same breath as his dry laugh, give her some of that wisdom to chew on. In a way it comforted her that he and the tree hadn't changed – it gave her tattered mind some hope for the future. It was this sense of constancy which drew her to this place now. As it was his essence, that soothing breath of warmth which was his presence in the Force, which flowed throughout this place. Here, as nowhere else in the Universe, she felt at peace and safe.

"Come to a decision, the Council has." For long moments he had stood in the arched way, watching as the padawan settled into some measure of peace. A brief instant he had considered turning back, and leaving her to her hard found peace. With a sigh he settled himself next to her on a low hanging branch.

"What will become of me now?" His green ears, like leaves a cat had played with too long, perked up, and he gently put a hand on her back, avoiding the still not healed wounds, and leaned forward as if to whisper a secret of the utmost urgency.

"Knighted, you will be, when settled your mind is." He stared at her with his huge, gold yellow eyes, as if expecting an answer of her, leaving the silence to drag on. His eyes focused on her face, seeking some of the tell tale signs of the struggle he felt within her. A sign of her strength, or maybe of her weakness, was her ability to hide it all, to smoothen her features as if they were not discussing her future, but the weather on some fine day. In her imposed self control, not a muscle twitched which she did not want to. Yoda knew that it was only show. How often had he seen that look of fear creep into her eyes and face when she had encountered a shadow too dark to penetrate fully? How often did the thought of holding a normal conversation with one of the other Jedi send her scurrying to this place, avoided by most other Jedi as they knew it was his favored meditation space. He hoped her mind would heal soon, so he could again spend long, uninterrupted hours alone here with his thoughts. Her restless mind made finding peace difficult.

"And my Master." The perky look of but moments ago disappeared from Yoda's face, and his ears drooped.

"Not your Master she is now. A new Padawan she will take."

"Because I am a failure." The moment the words left her, agony raced down her back as Master Yoda's gimmer stick connected with the swollen welts and bruises on her back. For a moment she doubled over, unable to think, move, or even breath. Part of her mind found it amazing how pain greater than the one currently felt could cover that constant throb in her mind.

"Speak of failure, no one does," Yoda stood, and began to pace, the stick waving about, as if seeking a new target to take its ire out on. " Expect to meet a Renegade Jedi, no one did, or sent more than a young master with her first padawan. Alone you were, faced with a weapon meant to cause fear in all but the most powerful of Jedi Masters. To prevail, a padawan could not be expected to."

"But the children died. I couldn't save them." Yoda saw the tears glimmering in the corner of her eyes. They made her large brown eyes unbearably brilliant in her pale face. And he knew, that those tears were not caused by his wayward gimmer stick, but by the scars and wounds littering her mind. What horrors she had suffered, none knew. Even after two months she could not speak of them. In most situations, she reacted like a wounded and beaten animal, fleeing if she could, lashing out if escape was not possible. When she first woke from the bacta treatment, her words had been gibberish, her acts unpredictable. The Healers had had their work cut out for them with her. What she couldn't understand, she attacked. What hurt her, she attacked. What came near her, she attacked. Long hours spend with the mind healers had slowly improved her. Now, she didn't lash out anymore. She hid all of her pain inside of her, creating a wall around her heart and soul few could see through. But though she still had a long way to go, and due to the unknown nature of the weapon used upon her and the fact that her wounds might never fully heal; she was beginning to be a member of the Jedi Community again. Moments like these, showed that their efforts on her behalf were not in vain. She would live and she would heal. If she was given the time she needed.

"Save them, none could have. Seen the result, I have, Kalé. Expect to stand against an army alone, you did? Believe you that one padawan, stopped him could have? Five others, we have sent against him. Five returned, all wounded, one near death. Live you do! And live you will!"

"if you say so." With frustration he watched as that glimmer of humanity he had seen in her countenance withdrew again. The emotions disappeared from her face, leaving her with a void, a vacancy, which ached to be filled. She heard the words, probably understood them, but her heart and soul refused them. In her mind, she had failed the 157 children of the Desert Tribes of Lethes. She couldn't save even one of them, too great were the forces arrayed around them.

"Move to new quarters you will. Meet Master Kuno at 08:00 tomorrow you will." Without waiting for a sign of understanding, he turned and left. Maybe she would find back that inner peace she had found for a moment, if he left her to her thoughts.

Not far from the garden, Aletheia waited for him. Nervously, she paced to and fro, crushing flowers and bushes alike in her need to move. As she saw him, she stopped, and expectant look in her eyes. He drew his eyebrows together and glowered at her. He had better things to do than sooth her rumpled ego. Straightening his back, he walked by her, ignoring her pleading gaze.

"Master Yoda. How did she take the news?" She had been too much of a coward to go explain to her former padawan that she would not be training her anymore. Yoda had softened the blow by claiming it a Council decision, but it had been Aletheia's wish to be rid of her broken minded and ill padawan.

"Well enough." She stared at his retreating back with astonishment. But Yoda had much to consider, and the feelings of a master who would abandon her padawan when said padawan had most need of her were not something he had time for. Kalé had been her first padawan, and she felt in no way responsible for her old protégé's current situation. The Council would keep a good eye upon Aletheia and her new padawan, even if Kalé's situation was out of the ordinary. Teachers who had her in classes with countless other padawans felt twinges of conscience. Not a few wondered if they had done enough to prepare her for such a situation. Master Ireine, the saber technique instructor, had sworn to spend extra hours with her once she was well enough. Masters Leroux and Perry were determined to improve her healing skills and diplomacy skills. Several others had also already offered to take the young woman under their wing as she struggled towards the Knighthood which should already be hers. Yet the Master responsible for her day in day out, felt not even a shimmer of a doubt and laid all responsibility for the events at Kalé's feet. This alone had been enough for the Council to remove her from her Master. Hopefully it had not been too late. Aletheia lengthened her strides to keep up with Yoda's short, quick ones.

"Master Yoda, I would like to go hunt down this Renegade." He stopped, and stared at her. Finding her knees unappealing, he gave her a whack, indicating she should kneel. What he saw in her face did not improve his mood. In no way did she take the Renegade's threat seriously.

"Others already do so." He again turned to leave, stopping when she began to contradicting him, to argue.

"but..."

"Time I have not for your childish demands. Think that because your padawan not defeat him could, that you could? That fail she did because a padawan she is?"

"Well... yes..." Her answer disappointed him. He had known that she felt such, but to hear that knowledge confirmed by her mouth disappointed him greatly. More and more he began to doubt the wisdom to allow her a new padawan. Others had outvoted him, but they had agreed to keep an eye on her.

"Hrumph." He left her standing where she was, wondering what kind of answer he had expected of her. She felt that in some way, he blamed her. But what for? None of this was her fault.