Chapter 1: An Old Friend

As it turned out, the force brought her the one place she never thought to go. However, when she walked the surface of Dantooine, she knew that there was nowhere else to go. This was her home. Meetra became the teacher of the young Jedi training at the academy. She ensure that they learned Lightsaber techniques (when Padawans came of age), use of the force, proper meditation, most everything that had proved invaluable to her on her travels. She still wondered what her companions were doing. Disciple worked at the Academy, but that was all Master Surik knew of her former friends.

She thought about them often, though. She liked to imagine BaoDur back on Telos, maybe helping the Ithorians, his trusty remote by his side. Mira would be running about the galaxy, spreading redemption and all that is good. Maybe Visas would be walking the unknown regions, looking for Revan, perhaps. Meetra had gone, but returned after about a year. She thought of Atton as leading a fairly simple existence, getting by on Nar Shaddaa with his knack for Pazaak. He probably "switched off the Lightsaber" long ago. With any luck, Mandalore was back on Dxun, leading his clan as he always had and always would. G0-T0 was deactivated long ago, back on Malachor, but the man behind the machine, however, was probably still somewhere, screaming about a broken republic. HK remained in the Ebon Hawk, deactivated. She hadn't been inside the ship in years, it remained docked near Khoonda, where the Administrator graciously allowed her to dock. She remembered the last time she was in there. She switched off the lights, powered down the controls, and took one last walk around the ship. Sitting in the pilots chair, staring at the Galaxy Map. Sitting on the bed in the Medbay, and just taking one last lap around her old friend. At any rate, T3-M4 still wandered about the Academy, repairing this, doing that. Much like his days on the Ebon Hawk, he mostly wandered about. Old habits die hard.

Meetra was pulled out of her dreams of her friends by beeps and whistles. She hadn't been awake for more than three seconds before her Lightsaber was ignited, pointed in the direction of the sound. When she saw who the intruder was, she relaxed. It was T3-M4. Perhaps in her sleeping state she hadn't registered the beeps and whistles as her trusty utility droid. "Sorry, T3." He responded with a series of beeps and whistles that translated to "You nearly fried my circuitry!" which caused Meetra to roll her eyes. "Sorry, T3. Old habits." If the droid could shrug, he would have. "Just for future reference, try not to fry people on sight, in case you don't miss." Surik sighed. "I could memory wipe you, you know." "No you can't. I'm resistant to memory wipes, I fry any droid who tries!" She smiled. "Well, at any rate, I love your personality quirks, T3. Now, head out, find something to fix." The droid beeped a short response, and left her room, the electronic door closing behind him. She liked that droid more than she liked many people. At least he would tell it to her like it was. People were hard to understand, and because of her Jedi Master status genrally compelled people to tell her what they thought she wanted to hear. Regardless, the utility droid reminded her of her past. She decided long ago that dwelling on her past was not an option. It was a waste of time to think about times and allies that she couldn't get back. So, that sunny morning on Dantooine, Meetra donned her robes, because what else was there to do?

She shrugged into her white under dress, then put her top robe (Which, since she was female, was also ankle length) and tied it. Her white garments were technically for ceremonies only, but she wore them every day. It wasn't that she didn't have Jedi Master robes, she just didn't like to wear them. They reminded her too much of her past. She had a few minutes before she had to go down to the garden, to meet the 15 year-old (soon to come of age) Padawans. It was a very special day for them, they were going to the crystal cave to pick their Lightsaber crystals. Meetra loved the Choosing of the Crystals, as it required the Padawans to feel through the force. If the Padawans stood near the crystals long enough, the one attuned to them would eventually become clear. However, Meetra was not thinking about the ceremony.

She saw herself in her mirror and her mind went back to her travels on the Ebon Hawk. How different she looked then. It had only been five years since she travelled with the team, but she looked like she had been through a lifetime. She let her formerly short hair grow out, now it was at her waist. Her hair that had also once been brown had been white for almost two years now. This change occurred when she was on Nar Shaddaa, taking down a rogue Sith faction. She was struck in the head by force lightning, and her hair had been white ever since. Meetra had considered finding Atton, but if he went to Nar Shaddaa he clearly wanted to get lost. She was still deathly pale and had blue eyes that stood out even more now that all she wore was white. Her thoughts drifted back to her companions. However, she was not able to think long before she heard a knock at the door. A voice called out, "Headmistress Surik?" in a distinctly nervous and distinctly female tone. "Yes, Mara, come in!" she called back. Mara entered the room. Mara was fourteen, almost old enough to choose her crystal. For now though, she carried most of the messages to Meetra. Mara didn't have to or anything, she was just very helpful. "I'm receiving a request to enter the academy ma'am." Meetra absentmindedly began pinning up her hair, "Who from?" Mara then paused. "A young man who says he's come from Nar Shaddaa, and that he travelled with you on the Ebon Hawk."

One would most likely have expected Meetra to stop dead in her tracks, but she didn't. She kept fixing her snow white hair, and replied, "Thank you Mara, send him in." Meetra finished her hair with a small ribbon as a tie and looked at herself in the mirror, and she found that having her hair this was made her look similar to Atris. This prospect was unappealing to her, so she took her down, letting it flow loosely. Still, she would not leave her hair alone, and ran her hands through it, as she did when she was nervous. Who could it be? Mara said young man, Meetra thought, so that's either Bao-Dur or Atton. Meetra also remembered Mara is intelligent, she would have called Bao-Dur an Iridonian or a Zabrak. Therefore, it's Atton. "Lovely..." Meetra muttered, just as the door opened.

Meetra turned around and saw the scoundrel we all know and love. Atton Rand stood before her, wearing the same jacket as always, and looking the same in general. She stood up, and merely said "Mr. Rand, pleasure to see you again," and judging by the look on his face, this simple greeting came as a shock. "When did you get so..." he paused, looking for the right word. "Peaceful?" Meetra suggested. "No, more like boring." Meetra sighed and glided to her bookcase, picking out the first book she saw and began absentmindedly flipping through the pages. "What have you come for?" she asked with looking up. However, Atton never got to began his sentence, because Meetra yelled, "By Kavar! is that the time?" dropped her book and got out of that room in a big hurry. This was due to the fact that she was late for the choosing ceremony.