Xae's Tale

by Mirdala

A glimpse into the life of a young Jedihopeful during the New Rebublic Era. AN: This is the result of an online RPG and only deals with those that come into contact with my character, but it still makes for an interesting story. Please R&R.

1. Prelude

Xae's Tale

Disclaimer: First off, this is a work of fan-fiction in that it is set in the Star Wars Universe, and occasional cannon characters may or may not pop up. Kyp Durron is a book character and I claim not rights to owning or creating him. The only character that is mine (unless otherwise stated) is Xae-Lin Ardel.

Second, this tale is a compellation of posts in an on-line RPG to which I contribute. ( the only claim I have to the creativity are the voices, ideas, and actions of my own personal character, Xae-Lin Ardel. I wish to thank the people that I am fortunate enough to interact with via this medium. Many of them are excellent writers, and without them Xae's Tale would likely be boring.

Now that all that technical butt-covering is taken care of, please enjoy the exploits of Xae and her adventures.

Sakami

Intro:

A steadily beeping alarm woke Kyp Durron from his sleep. The Redemption was approaching the pre-set Coordinates that Kyp had received from the Hypercomm Beacon. Kyp rose and donned his Jedi tunic, pants, and boots, finally putting on his weapon belt. Grabbing his lightsaber from its stand on the armoire by his bed, he rushed out of his quarters, clipping the lightsaber to his belt as he walked briskly to the cockpit. He paused for a moment as he sat down, admiring the ever-familiar blue-white swirl of hyperspace. I still remember seeing it for the first time after Han rescued me from Kessel... how it inspired me with awe. Now, it is still a comfortable sight to behold, even after all I've been through. I just hope I'm not too late...

He reached for the Hyperdrive Actuator Lever, de-activating the Hyperdrive and simultaneously kicking in the sublight engines. The blue-white swirl of Hyperspace resolved itself into star-lines, which then rendered into the millions of pinpricks of light as the star-field came into sharp focus. The watery planet of Manaan loomed in the distance, dwarfing the Lambda-class Shuttle. So this is the new home of the Jedi... He reached for the comm unit, opening a pre-set channel.

"This is Jedi Knight Kyp Durron... I felt a great disturbance in the force, and have returned from my travels in the Unknown Regions to aid the Jedi... I request permission to land and to speak with the head of the Jedi Order. I will remain here in orbit until you respond. Kyp Durron, out."

Kyp ended the transmission, and left the comm channel set to passive scan. He sat back in the pilot's chair, his hands resting on his chest, fingers interlocked as if in deep thought. A slender figure caught his peripheral vision. Xae-Lin Ardel, the force-sensitive girl he had rescued from Dathomir, entered the cockpit gracefully and without a sound.

"Dammit Xae! How many times have I told you not to sneak up on me when I'm deep in thought?" said Kyp

She replied coldly, "You're the one who didn't wake me when we left Hyperspace, like I asked you to. Besides... it keeps you on your toes, and you're the one who's always telling me that a Jedi needs to remain aware of their surroundings at all times."

Kyp sighed... "All right, fair enough."

She eyed the comm and asked, "So, have the illustrious Jedi answered you yet? I still don't see why we have to go out of our way to this backwater planet. It's not like you owe them any favors."

Shaking his head, Kyp responded, "A Jedi goes where he is needed, Xae... It's not a matter of favors being owed, it is a responsibility. But to answer your question, no. No response yet, so we wait..."

Xae-Lin laughed as she took a seat next to Kyp.

It had been nearly five years since she'd first met him while she was in the process of running away, yet again, from the Nightsisters. She'd spent fourteen years among them, and had finally gotten up the courage to run away again. Big mistake. As soon as the Sisters were aware of her absence, the sky broke loose with Hell's Fury. She'd run into the Jedi Knight almost by accident.

Her thoughts were broken as the com link beeped back with the clearance to land.

"Look's as though I'll actually get to meet some other Jedi than just you, and hopefully learn more than just new ways to meditate...It's about time!" She said. After spending five years training with the Jedi Knight, she was more than ready to learn something other than the meditation exercises that he kept her practicing as well as developing her animal rapport training that she'd been trained in as a young girl living among the rancor-riding Nightsisters.

Kyp piloted the Shuttle into an approach vector, and gently descended through the blue-gray cloud canopy

"Meditation practices are good for you...," said Kyp."They help you keep that temper in check... you know anger leads to the Dark Side... yes, it will do you good to meet some more Jedi... I just hope there are enough of us left.

The Redemption swooped in, low on the horizon... as the shuttle came to the Eternal Vigilance, its wings folded up and the shuttle floated down on its repulsors, landing in the larger craft's Shuttle bay.

"Come now; let's go introduce ourselves to the Jedi in that common area over there"

The young woman shrugged as she grabbed her belt the held her long knife and blaster then followed Kyp out of the ship, "Whatever you say Kyp."

The landing ramp extended from the shuttle with a hiss of steam, and Kyp Durron strode forth, his long black and purple Jedi Cloak swishing elegantly behind him. He looked different now, with his bald head and reddish-brown beard. As he walked, the Jedi cloak parted a bit, showing the Lightsaber swaying back and forth gently from his belt with each stride. As he approached the small group of Jedi in the common area, he stopped short, quietly listening as to not interrupt their conversation.

BC moved through the corridors quickly. His robes flapped behind him, the Leader of the Jedi was moving to greet the newly arrived Kyp Durron. As he approached, the large wookie bowed his head. His hair moved with his face. As he moved it away from his eyes, he extended his hand.

"It is great to have you back old friend. Come in there is much to discuss."

Kyp took the pan-sized paw that the wookie extended in greeting

She smiled at the wookie that came to greet them as she stood behind and to the left of the Jedi Knight, her light blue eyes taking in her surroundings. She did remember her manners and gave a slight bow in greeting to the other Jedi and she had the good graces to keep her tongue quiet until she was addressed. She did her best not to stare at the tall hairy being, she'd never met a wookie before and to be honest...it was quite a shock. While the two Jedi greeted each other, she absently fiddled with the clay necklace that she always wore around her neck.

"It's good to see you again, my old friend!" said Kyp, as he drew the wookie close for a friendly hug. Kyp gestured to the young woman standing beside him. "This is Xae-Lin Ardel, my student."

Xae-Lin bowed deeply, still somewhat wary of the wookie. "Nice to meet you." Her gaze flicked to Kyp, she was almost wondering if this meant their parting. From what she understood, Jedi Knights and Masters were often assigned their students, or Padawans as the term went. At least that's what she'd been lead to believe, hence her caution with the wookie Jedi. That and she'd never met one before.

"The Jedi are training hard, I will begin assigning missions soon. I am awaiting a full recovery from the last attack. The Imperials have become ruthless; they ally with eve stronger factions such as the Black un and Hutts to inflict even more damage. It is becoming increasingly hard to stand off such large-scale fleets and ground troops. The rebels are available, but do not have the manpower to use their vast armada and resources. I have even tried infusing the Jedi with the Rebels, but it does not last long."

Xae-Lin watched as the two Jedi made their way back to the Council Chambers

"Come if any of the Council members are still in the Chambers you can re-introduce yourself. It has been quite awhile." The wookie invited.

"You can come along, Xae... I need to address some business with the council which concerns you anyway."

Xae swallowed nervously and followed Kyp. She could feel the flight bugs take wing in the pit of her stomach. Concentrating in her mind using one of the techniques that Kyp had taught her during her journey with him, she sought to quell her jitters.

As Kyp Durron stood before what was left of the Jedi Council, he felt a pang of guilt for his abandonment of the Jedi Order in the past few years – his retreat to Dathomir, and then the Unknown Regions, had only worsened the pain he felt deep within his being. The loss of a Student to the Dark Side can be very traumatic, along with the death of his daughter. the guilt had been too much to bear. As he stood here in quiet reflection, he realized that his place had been here all along, with the Jedi. All things happen for a reason, Master Luke had once said. The Jedi aren't exempt from tragedy, but it is how we deal with that tragedy that makes us Jedi. Remember Kyp, no matter what happens in life, you always have to go forward with it. There is no going back.

As Kyp thought about that, he finally found the confidence to ask the Council the question he came to ask.

"Masters of the Jedi Order, Council of the Force... I come before you to request the recognition from the Council that I take Xae-Lin Ardel as my Student in the Jedi ways. I have been teaching her basics such as meditation since I rescued her on Dathomir 5 years ago, but she wishes to learn more. I've been reluctant to teach anyone since... the tragedy with my former student. But I feel that I am ready once again to pass on the knowledge of the Force."
Xae sensed the presence of someone behind her as she hung back as Kyp addressed the council. She turned to see Hale Akturus behind her and stepped aside respectfully, understanding that he must either have a lot of guts, or be someone of merit as he'd just come to the council chamber unannounced.

Because of her travels with Kyp in the Unknown Regions, she hadn't met many of the races that were represented on Mannan. It was because of this unfamiliarity, that she did her best to learn what she could through quiet observation, something that she'd learned both from Kyp and from the Nightsisters. She looked at each council member in turn, trying to gauge what information she could by the Jedi's appearance and posture, with the occasional glace to the man beside her.

The auburn-haired young woman knew that something had happened with Kyp and his last student, but not the details of the matter. He'd usually dodged the subject and she'd never really pressed him for details. When they first met and she'd asked him to take her away from the Nightsisters, she could sense his reluctance to teach her the way of the Jedi as she'd asked him. She'd been aware of the force almost as long as she'd been able to use it, in accordance with the Nightsisters teachings and designs.

Kyp stood patiently, awaiting the Council's answer.

BC walked around the young Padawan. He looked deep into her. His strength with the Force could be felt as he gazed into her heart. Moving slowly and in a deep trance BC kneeled down to meditate.

Xae followed the tall being with her eyes as he walked around her, she did her best to contain her nervousness. What would happen to her if she were denied training? Would she still get to stay with Kyp?

"Yes. "

He spoke as he stayed in meditation.

"You have my permission to train her."

Upon hearing that she was granted permission to stay with Kyp and that she was to be trained, Xae visibly relaxed.

Kyp bowed to the Wookie Jedi Master out of respect and gratitude.

"Thank you, my friend... Now, if you'll excuse me, I must attend to my Padawan. With the current state of the Jedi Order, her formal training must begin at once."

"Come, Xae. Lets grab something to eat and then we'll get started with your training."

Kyp walked out of the room with a flourish, his Jedi Cloak flowing elegantly behind him as he went in search of the cafeteria.

Xae bowed to the council as well and offered a smile to the Jedi that had been waiting to speak next to her. As soon as she and Kyp were out of earshot of the council she smiled mischievously, "I guess that you're stuck with me now Kyp!" She laughed as she nudged him in the side as they went on the quest for food.

Kyp looked down at Xae and laughed.

"It's nothing I can't handle... Besides, I've already had to spend 5 years with you... Training you in the ways of the Force should be a walk in the park by comparison!"

Kyp and Xae came to a large room with several tables and booths. On the far side of the room, there was a buffet-style Cafeteria, where there was a short line. They made their way to the line, where they waited to get some much-needed food.

"Yeah and after five years of your cooking it's a wonder I'm not dead!" She teased as the two of them sat down in one of the booths, in reality Kyp wasn't really all that bad of a cook. In fact, he was quite good. Xae-Lin just liked giving him a hard time.

As they ate, she found herself watching the others that were in the cafeteria, mainly those representing races that she'd never seen before. During her travels with Kyp, she'd only really ever encountered the Chiss and Elomin and a handful of other races. "I had no idea that there were so many of you...well us," she said taking a bite of her food. "And not just people of our race either," she added, almost in awe.

Kyp looked up from his food with a knowing smile

"And we come to the first lesson... The Force is in all things... All races have the potential to be Jedi."

He gestured toward the variety of Jedi gathered in the cafeteria.

"This is but a handful of the species in the galaxy... and there used to be thousands upon thousands of Jedi. Now we are reduced to a few dozen or so."

Xae looked about the cafeteria again, wondering what each race was called. She turned her attention back to her dinner. "And what would the second lesson be, hmm?" She laughed again. This was a new adventure and a challenge for her, one to which she was looking forward to meeting. "That the Dark-Side operates the same indiscriminitory way?"

Kyp finished his Kaarnak stew and continued.

"The Dark Side is the other half of a whole. in a way it acts the same, indiscriminate of who or what race is able to use it. However, the Dark side is easier, quicker, and more alluring. It offers a false sense of power, taking an awful toll on the person using it. It may not always be easy to stay on the path of the Light, but it is more than worth the effort in the long run. I know this from experience... the Dark Side is not to be trifled with."

The young woman locked eyes with her master, seeing something ghost across his eyes as he talked about the Dark Side. Had that been the great tragedy with his last student? Xae finished her stew as well, "That's the type of magic that the Sisters called 'Shadow Magic' right? I remember some of the Shadow users being very powerful...but also fairly young for the most part." She was tempted to ask Kyp if that had been why he didn't want to train her in more than meditation. "That's what they kept trying to teach me. I never liked Shadow Magic much."

Kyp took a moment before answering, he could sense there was more to her question than she was letting on...

"Yes, Shadow Magic the Dark Side, but there's more to the Dark Side than that, however, we have discussed this subject enough for now. Curiosity about such things is best left alone. You should be focusing on more important things, like studying the Jedi Code."

Xae-Lin nodded, assenting to Kyp's request. Then the mischievous gleam returned to her eye, "So I have to learn another language?" She cocked her head, laughing. She knew what he meant and the only way that linguistics would be involved was in the explanation of said code.

"Xae, I'll leave you to meet some of the Jedi here," Kyp said abruptly as he turned, noticing one of the council members. "I must have a word with the council on another matter."

Kyp walked over to where Hou-Jo Poleb was standing, still wiping the crumbs from his meal off his hands.

"Master Poleb... there's an urgent matter I must discuss with the Jedi Council. If the council will grant me audience on the matter, that is."

Hou-Jo nodded, "I will try and get a meeting for you, but I would have to track down all the Council members. A hearing would take time, I hope you realize."

"I understand... and I apologize for my ignorance in the matter I wish to address. I can see that the Jedi have diminished a bit since I left all those years ago. I mainly want to discuss the current course of action with the Council, so that I may fulfill my purpose here. I'll be in my quarters putting my stuff away... you may find me there later after the Council has assembled."

Kyp bowed to the Jedi Master, and went to find his quarters.

Xae nodded to Kyp, "I'll see you later then." The petite nineteen-year old cleared her and her master's dishes, taking them to the cleaning/recycle area that she'd seen others use. She decided to do some exploring, eventually going outside.

She saw another figure standing on the platform, just staring at the sky. "Hello," She said coming to stand next to the women, a gentle wind stirring her auburn hair. Xae-Lin turned her gaze skyward as she absently fiddled with the training lightsaber on her belt that Kyp had given her before he'd left for his quarters.

Tiana turned around, to look at the girl standing behind her. The newcomer was older than she was, Tiana assumed, maybe four years, or more. "Hi," Tiana greeted, leaving the skies that she found so fascinating, to bring herself back down to earth. "I'm Tiana Elass. And you are?"

She smiled, and waited for a reply from the petite stranger.

"Xae-Lin Ardel," The young woman said, extending her hand to the other woman. "I take it that you're new here, too?" Xae smiled.

Tiana smiled, and extended her hand as well. "Hi, Xae. Yeah, I am new here as well, as it would seem. I suppose I should say welcome, but being new myself, I can't really. When did you get here?"

Xae smiled, "A few hours ago actually. Where are you from originally?" She realized that this might not be a prudent line of conversation, as she had spent most of her life on a planet that was known for its connections to the Dark Side of the Force.

Tiana nodded at Xae. "Yeah, then I suppose you wouldn't've had much time to settle in," she commented, when the other girl answered that she had arrived a few hours ago, towards the most.

Tiana paused slightly, taking a moment to think. "Well, I'm from Coruscant," she replied slowly. "I'm not quite sure if I was born there, though. What of you?"

"Well, I just thought that I'd stay on the Redemption," Xae-Lin shrugged, she didn't see the sense in settling in to a room here, unless Kyp decided to stay longer than a few weeks. It wasn't that she had all that much to move with her, she'd just become accustomed to her quarters on the ship.

When it came to responding to her own question that had been thrown back her way, Xae paused for a moment. She'd been the one to bring up the topic, so it would be wrong of her indeed to not respond to something that she quite willingly brought up herself. "Dathomir." She thought herself silly for worrying over it so; she'd already been approved as Kyp's Padawan and didn't think that she would have been allowed to further her training with him if the Wookie had sensed anything dark residing within her.

"How long have you been here?" The petite auburn-haired young woman decided to play the same tactic on the taller woman, who seemed relatively close to her age, give or take a few years.

Kyp Durron sat in his training room, studying the Holocron's history of Darth Vader's Jedi purge. The one who was to bring Balance to the Force... Little did they know what kind of "balance" was in store for the Jedi. So many Jedi lost in the purge... We've come so far since then. And yet, at every turn, the Empire threatens to wipe us out. Something needs to be done. Kyp touched the force-sensitive crystal panel on the side of the Holocron, switching it off and returning it to its stand on the black marble desk.

"Come on, R2. It's time for us to go."

R2-E6 chortled an inquisitive string of beeps, and then followed Kyp out of the room. Kyp locked the door to his training room, so that the study materials kept within wouldn't fall into the all-too-eager hands of any apprentices who wanted a quick route to power. Then he walked down the halls to the hanger bay, the astromech droid following along attentively. As they came to the Redemption, Kyp stopped for a moment.

"R2, run the pre-flight diagnostics and fire up the converters. Prep the ship for takeoff, and plot a course for Ossus. I need to go find Xae."

The little droid whistled an affirmative and set to the task. As the sublight converters started up with a whine, Kyp Durron left the hangar bay to look for Xae. Hopefully, she would understand...

"Here?" Tiana paused for a moment, seeing that Xae had a similar personality to her... coming up with the exact same questions she herself would've. "If you mean Manaan, I've been here as long as everyone else, a couple days at the most. If you mean here, as coming to the Jedi, I arrived on Hoth..." Tiana stopped. She didn't know how long ago it had been, not that long. "A week, maybe a bit longer. I wasn't keeping track of the time. You're from Dathomir? That's interesting... an Outer Rim planet, isn't it?"

"Yes, it's on the Outer-Rim...kind of out there. I've never been in this part of the galaxy before actually," Xae-Lin admitted.
"The Jedi have more than one temple? Or they've only been here that long?" Xae was confused, Kyp had been right, something was definitely going on, she could almost sense it.

Tiana nodded slightly. "So you're staying on a ship... meaning that you don't intend to stay here long. Who's your master, then?"

Xae looked about the area absently, "I don't really know what Kyp's plans are. He doesn't often tell me much other than what he thinks that I need to know at the time," She shrugged, seemingly not caring one way or another. "I was just officially assigned to him as a Padawan." She noticed the familiar figure in the black and purple cloak approaching from across the landing platform. "And here he comes now." She wasn't sure if the other newcomer would notice the casual usage of Kyp's given name, rather than referring to him by his title.

Tiana shrugged. "I'm not sure if the Temple here has been here long, or not. But there was an attack by the Empire on Hoth, so we came here. If you wanted details, I'm afraid I don't recall much though, Xae."

She smiled. "So you are a Padawan then... I thought as much. To... Kyp." She stopped, the name being unfamiliar to her, and the fact that Xae was using his name, and not title... that was different. Tiana had gotten used to the titles, so it caught her slightly off-guard to hear someone not using a title. "Then you've been with him longer, though," she commented, as usual, reading between the lines. Growing up with two brothers, one learned to think fast, and such.

She glanced over as Xae pointed out Kyp coming over there. "Ahh. Then you probably aren't staying long. However, it was nice meeting you, Xae-Lin." Tiana smiled. "It's nice to talk with someone close to my height."

"I've been traveling with Kyp for about five years now, but in the Unknown Regions," She smiled at the other woman. "It was nice meeting you too. I understand about the height thing...Kyp's a good foot taller than I am!" She laughed as the Jedi they were discussing drew closer.

"Miss me that much Kyp?" She teased, unaware that her behavior towards her master was in no way the norm.

Kyp Durron walked up to the two women, the black and purple Jedi cloak flowing behind him like a living thing. He bowed as he came to the two, in a gesture of greeting. He looked at the taller of the two with an inquisitive look on his face.

"Greetings... we haven't met yet. My name is Kyp Durron."

Kyp turned to face Xae.

"Xae, I have R2 prepping the Redemption for takeoff. I found reference in my Holocron to something that may help both the Jedi and the Rebellion. Hou-Jo mentioned Jedi Battle Meditation... it's a lost Jedi ability. That is to say, it's not used by many Jedi. The last reference I could find to it being used was by Nomi Sunrider some 4000 or more years ago. There was a rumor of it being used as recently as the Jedi Purge, but that's un-substantiated. In any case, there's an artifact called the Kyberr Crystal that may still be in the ruins of the old Jedi Temple on Ossus... I need to consult with Hou-Jo before we leave, but if we find this crystal, it could tip the scales on our favor."

"Sounds like fun," Xae said to Kyp before bowing to Tiana. "Well it was very nice talking to you, and may our paths cross again!"

She gave a nod to Kyp and asked, "Shall I go wait on the ship then or do you want me to go with you?"

"You may accompany me or you can wait on the ship... I leave the choice to you."

With that, Kyp bowed once again to Xae's friend, and walked through the doorway into the halls, in search of Hou-Jo.

Xae decided to follow Kyp to perhaps learn what she could from observing her master. "So if we get the approval of the council we get to go looking for this special stone?" There was still a lot about the Jedi that she didn't yet fully grasp, but she also knew that that knowledge would yet come in time.

Kyp Durron and his apprentice entered the Council chamber and bowed in greeting and respect to the members assembled there so far. As Xae-Lin stood quietly behind and slightly to the right of the Jedi Knight, Kyp waited for the Council to recognize him.

"Kyp, this meeting was arranged by Master Gantoris. I do not believe the meeting was made on your part, please exit and wait until the entire Council has arrived. Also, please be courteous next time and wait for permission to enter, if it is not too much to ask." The council member that Xae-Lin recognized as the one that Kyp had left to speak with after their meal remanded her master.

"Very well... I shall excuse myself. My apprentice and I are leaving this planet. I wanted to address the council on the matter, but I'll go it alone instead. If we're successful, it will be of great help to the Jedi. Now if you'll excuse me, the Redemption is prepped and ready for departure."

Kyp bowed to Hou-Jo before he left the Council chamber.

"Come Xae... we'll work some more on your lightsaber techniques on the way to Ossus."

Xae-Lin wisely kept silent by Kyp's side through out the entire encounter with the council. She bowed deeply to the council, not really understanding what the entirety of the situation had been. Turning, she followed the Jedi Knight out of the chamber and to the ship.

Finally, she thought, something to learn other than just how to control my emotions. She smiled at Kyp as they made their way back to the ship. "So how far is it to this fun little world?" the young woman asked.

"It's in the Outer Rim territories..."Kyp responded, on the way to the hangar bay."It will take two days in Hyperspace to reach... enough time to give you a primer in lightsaber techniques."

As they boarded the shuttle, Kyp had a nagging feeling in the back of his mind... but he shrugged it off, and he and Xae boarded the Redemption. A few seconds later, with a whine of the repulsor lifts, the Lambda-Class shuttle lifted off and floated out of the hangar bay. As it gained altitude, the wings folded down and locked in place. Breaking through the cloud canopy. It IS a beautiful planet... hopefully the Jedi will still be based here upon our return...
and then the atmosphere above it, Kyp took another look at the planet below
Kyp pulled the Hyperspace Actuation lever, and the star-field burst into star-lines, and then the blue-white swirl of hyperspace as the Redemption Headed for open space.

Xae-Lin crept into the cockpit, taking off her training helmet and tossing Kyp the training remote (which he deftly caught) she plopped down into the co-pilot's seat next to Kyp as they traveled through Hyperspace. Smiling as she quickly re-braided her hair, Xae-Lin turned the seat so that she faced the Jedi. When she'd first met up with Kyp and had had her first experience traveling at hyper-speed, it had frightened her and enthralled the young teen at the same time. Five years later, and the frightening effect had worn off, but the excitement she felt still remained. The excitement at the unexpected adventure that awaited her in regions of the galaxy that she'd never seen before was what Xae felt made life worth living. So it was with the adventure in mind that she turned to Kyp, "So tell me about this planet that we're going to, Kyp."

Kyp pulled up a visual of Ossus on the holoprojector. A beautiful blue-tinged planet appeared, backlit between two suns.
"The planet Ossus is an important part of Jedi History. The Jedi Temple and Jedi Library were both located there before the Jedi moved them to Coruscant. I found a reference in my Holocron to a Jedi Artifact that I must have missed last time I was there. We're going to retrieve it."

Xae leaned back in the co-pilot's seat and crossed her arms across her chest, raising an eyebrow at Kyp, "So tell me, Kyp...Do you give vague answers just to annoy me? Or to make me think?"

Inwardly, Kyp laughed, he never really thought about it, as it seemed so simple to him. "I always knew that one day I'd start your training as a Jedi. A Jedi must be constantly aware of their surroundings, as you reminded me the other day. One reason I am 'vague' it to make you stop and think, to pay closer attention to detail and such. Another reason is that many of the Jedi's teachings depend on a person's own point of view. If you let the Force guide your actions, the meanings become less 'vague', and things start to come into focus."

Xae looked slightly annoyed, but she knew that Kyp was right. "So I just need to focus more?" She pressed a few buttons and brought up a screen that had some of the basic information on the planet. "The force is older than I thought. What happened to all the Jedi? Shouldn't there be more if the force has been in use for this long?"

A saddened expression appeared on the Jedi's face. He knew the time would come when she'd ask this question. He remembered when he'd asked Master Luke pretty much the same question, all those years ago at the Jedi Academy on Yavin IV. It had taken Luke a while to answer, as it took a Kyp a long moment to compose his thoughts now. After a couple minutes, he finally sighed and answered her. "A long time ago, I asked my master, Luke Skywalker, the same question. He told me that when his father, Anakin Skywalker, fell to the Dark Side and became Darth Vader, he and Emperor Palpataine sought to wipe out the Jedi. They did this because the Jedi were the only ones who could threaten Palpataine's power. They all but succeeded in their efforts too. Had it not been for Obi-Wan and Master Yoda, the Jedi might well have been wiped out a long time ago"

She met his eyes, sensing a quiet pain in him," Master Luke...you quote him often, I recognize the name." Xae looked back out across the star-streaks, white tendrils on the blackness of space, as she continued, "Then there is still hope...you said that all races have the potential to be Jedi...that means there are more of you...us out there." The auburn-headed teen turned back to Kyp, "And that Palpataine guy is gone, isn't he? Tiana, the other newcomer mentioned that she and the other Jedi had only arrived there a few days before we did. Where is Hoth?" Xae-Lin's first encounter with the other Jedi had sparked far more questions in her quick mind than answers.

"It's on the other side of the Galaxy from where we're going. The rebel alliance had a base there shortly after the first Death Star was destroyed at the Battle of Yavin."

Suddenly, an urgent beeping started emanating from the Navicomputer control panel.

"We're coming up on Ossus... We'll continue this conversation once we're planet-side."
Kyp reached for the Hyperdrive Actuator Lever, and the blue-white swirl of hyperspace resolved itself into star-lines...