It was more than a decade ago.
She had first met the young human while they had both been Younglings. He had been timid, nearly jumping at the rustle of a Jedi master's cloak.
It had taken time, but she and her best friend, Gir'rina, a Lethan Twi'lek, had managed to pull him out of his shell. Within a few weeks, Statera became nearly as close to her as she was to Gir'rina.
They trained together, learning to commune with the Force from the great master Yoda. Their strength grew, each in a different way from each other. Gir'rina's control over the Force was always gentle; a featherlight touch filled with kindness and compassion. She would become a very powerful healer, Master Yoda once told them.
Statera was no less powerful in his own right; however, his mind was sharper than most. He was quick to learn any lesson related to the Force and he devoured every story he could find of the old Jedi. His curiosity about the Force was a well-documented fact, to the pride of some Jedi masters and the worry of others.
She, however, was a force to be reckoned with. Her skill with a saber was excellent, if not prodigious, for her young age. Her connection to the Force would sing loudest in the midst of battle, even if those battles were nothing more than simulations.
Over the years, they grew into their callings. As a group, they were strongest, each relying on the other in the midst of training. When they were teamed up, no simulation would stand in their way. Statera's creativity giving them an edge in nearly any situation. Gir'rina's gentle spirit, calming them when they disagreed, quietly giving them strength. Her power allowed her to obliterate their enemies and defend those she cared about.
Together, they were formidable, capable of equaling Younglings several years their senior.
Apart, however, they were much more limited. Her recklessness often causing the mission to fail before it began, while Gir'rina's gentle spirit prevented her from becoming a powerful warrior, and Statera's apathy for everything but the Force leaving him unprepared for many of the more physical challenges.
As the years passed, the time drew near for them to build their own lightsabers.
The journey to Ilum was never an easy one. The crystal caves would reveal their biggest weaknesses on the path to building their lightsaber. She was unable to find her crystal for hours, her reckless attitude making her overlook subtle hints from the Force. Gir'rina never shared her story, and Statera had walked out of the caves unusually quiet and contemplative.
Statera's crystals were unique, she later found out. They were not the pure crystals that most younglings would find. His were newly formed crystals, containing small impurities that most other crystals did not. Many of the Jedi masters were worried about such a sign. While impure crystals were quite common, especially during the earlier stages of crystal formation, having an affinity for crystals with impurities was quite rare. The last recorded time impure crystals were found was millennia ago, on the planet Dantooine, one of the rare, crystal growing planets outside the Ilum system. The last Jedi to possess impure crystals vanished from the Jedi Order. Many in the Order speculated the that this Jedi had turned to the dark side. Others decided to hold their peace since the records regarding that era were sparse and fragmented.
After a week or so, she asked Statera what he thought of his lightsaber. He told her he didn't care what the master's believed. They didn't possess his lightsaber and the records were remarkably unclear about the owners of other impure crystals. It was his saber and it was he who learned the secrets of the crystals, not the masters. As she questioned him further about the secrets, he had smiled and leaned in to tell her...
For the next few years, the trio trained together, becoming more powerful in the Force with each lesson. They grew closer to each other as well, their bond bringing smiles to the faces of the more liberal Jedi masters and a significant amount of worry to the more conservative.
Things began to change as they grew older. She never tired of the training simulations, fighting enemy after enemy. Strategizing and executing maneuvers on the battlefield became her passion, one in which the Jedi masters commended. The clone wars were beginning to spread throughout the galaxy and her skills would be needed on the front lines, they said.
Statera never lost his insatiable hunger for knowledge regarding the Force; however he also saw the necessity of the other lessons. It became his new mission to apply the Force to all lessons he learned, sometimes outstripping his peers, other times lagging far behind. His research into the Force a constant thorn in the side of the masters, as his studies encompassing both the light side and the dark side alike.
Gir'rina spend more time in the infirmary, learning the healing potential of the Force. Her strength grew, her use of the Force accelerating the recovery of those around her. Her gentle countenance healing many warriors' battered spirits, Jedi and nonJedi alike.
Growing into teenagers brought many more problems for Jedi than for the Force-insensitive folk. As Jedi, they swore away attractions and attachments, and yet, they were still plagued by them. The Jedi masters had long since resigned themselves to the fact that the budding Jedi would form small attachments to others as hormones would reshape their bodies into their adult form (some more drastically than others).
Twi'leks hit puberty earliest, commonly at the age of nine. She grew dramatically, growing nearly twice her height in a couple, short years.
She and Statera, however, hit puberty about the same time. As their bodies changed, so did their group dynamic.
Gir'rina, having gone through it before, watched her two companions as they adjusted, amused as they went through experiences similar to her own. She couldn't help notice how closely the two had become as they aged. She knew the attachments they were forming were against the Jedi Code, but she couldn't bring herself to stop them. Many years later, if she ever looked back at her actions, she would realize how much big an effect that little inaction had borne.
As he grew, Statera and a Jedi master, A'Sharad Hett, had taken to having long conversations about many things encompassing the Force. Eventually, Hett decided to take Statera on as an apprentice. To Statera's excitement, his new master was planning a mission to the farther reaches of the galaxy in search of information regarding the elusive Sith lords that were plaguing the Jedi.
She was both excited and sad at her friend's new mission. Becoming a padawan was one of the most important parts of a Jedi's life. But his new master would also be taking him to the far reaches of the galaxy. Since it was supposed to be covert, they wouldn't be in communication with the Jedi Order.
As Statera and his master prepared for their journey, she got a mission of her own.
At the behest of a council member, she was embarking on a mission to deliver a message to a couple missing Jedi masters. She was a little nervous since her new master was there as well.
It was supposed to be a quick mission. Deliver a message and return to the Temple on Coruscant with the Jedi in tow. As she learned, life as a Jedi never went according to plan.
It was almost two days later that she finally returned to the Temple, only to find that A'Sharad Hett and Statera had left for their mission. Disheartened, she went to speak with Gir'rina.
Gir'rina, seeing her friend's distress, wrapped her arms around her friend, before handing her a holocube. Explaining that the cube was from Statera, she left the room, giving her friend some privacy as she played the recording.
"I was hoping to speak to you in person before I leave, but we needed to leave before you could return. Master Hett and I will be exploring of the old Sith ruled planets that the Jedi know about. As you know, we won't be able to communicate for the duration of our mission, but we will return in a year or so. I have to go, I'm being reminded that we leave in an hour. I hope your master won't be as impatient as Master Hett seems to be. We'll speak again when I return, Ahsoka."