The Ghosts
Standard disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars, yadda yadda, in fact I stole the idea of a Jedi who doesn't appear in the force, being called a ghost from Red Rose Knight.
Inspired by Red Rose Knights An Uncertain Path
"Who was that?" the senator questioned intently of the guide, to the retreating figures back, a shiver finally dissipating into the air from along the senators spine.
"That was a ghost." replied the guide, a young padawan of about 16 or so, with a hint of an amused smile at the senator's expression, and perhaps, discomfort, although schadenfreude is rather unbecoming of a Jedi.
"A what? You mean that was an actual-"
"On no," the guide replied, with a laugh, "Ghosts are a rather curious line of Jedi, well the only line of Jedi really."
"I thought all Jedi were the same"
"No, no", the guide replied with a slight head shake, "There are healers and farmers, negotiators, fighters and all manner of Jedi. We chose are jobs much in the sense, everyone else does, but with a little nod or push from the force. But then there are Ghosts. They do not have official titles, or even a separate designation. On paper they are mixed in with the general pool of knights."
"I thought you said they were a line? What does that mean?"
"I suppose they are, a line of Masters and Apprentices, but no one keeps track of these things. We do not form families nor have genealogies, as you do. A knights job or specialty may be influenced by your Masters but it is of your own choosing. It is not so for the Ghosts. They-" here the guide hesitate, this was not something normally shared with outsiders, while it wasn't against the rules…
"Go on" the senator's hands motioned frantically. Well the guide thought, 'I do have a captive audience'
"They use certain techniques that are well, different than others." The guide shrugged. "They chose their Padawans very carefully, usually they never take more than one. Not everyone can do what they do, and as a result their bonds are often closer than others. One of my agemates got chosen by a Ghost, my agemate was really young when chosen, eight, I think. Most padawans get chosen at around eleven or twelve. Even before my agemate left my agemate was," the guide paused considering words carefully, "odd."
The senator was staring at the guide with wide eyes, as they passed another important bust the guide was supposed to be giving a spiel about,
"Well yes, " The senator hesitated, recalling the phrase, ignorance was bliss, but pressed blindly onward "but what do they actually well DO?"
"They hide their force signatures"
"Can't all Jedi do that?"
"Yes," the guide admitted, "but not to the extent Ghosts can. When that ghost earlier was standing in front of me, I couldn't sense him at all, it was if there was nothing in front of me, only my eyes told me differently. He feels to me in the force like a holo-image does to you with your hand. Like there is nothing there. Literally he feels like a ghost. There are rumors," again the guide hesitated, but pressed on bravely. "That if they wanted to they could even fool my eyes if they wished. That they can dissipate into the force, like our dead do, but unlike our dead they can also come back, take on corporal form once again. But those are just tales told to scare younglings." And the guide smiled brightly, the complete 180 dissipating the darkness of earlier words. "I certainly don't believe them."
"But what does it matter if they can cloak their force signature? Or even disappear completely" The senator asked as they turned down a corridor towards the crèche. "Couldn't they still choose any job they wish?"
"Theoretically yes, but they never do. Ghosts only go on certain kinds of missions. They are called in when things go horribly wrong. If someone is in need of rescue they call in a ghost. If you need information no one else can get chances are a ghost will have it. They are famous for getting in and out of places. Their visions of both the past, present and future are also said to be unerringly accurate, but again that is pure rumor."
"They sound like the elite" the senator commented, hearing the unspoken, 'they are spies' in the guides words, as they passed a beautiful garden, in which both Masters meditated in utter stillness and children played bouncily, an oddly contrasting scene.
"Many consider them to be the elite, yes, but at the same time they are also-" The guides nose wiggled, crunching the Jedi façade a smidgen, "I hate to say it but a little looked down upon. As I'm sure you're aware a Jedi's light saber is supposed to be the last resort. For a ghost it is almost always the only resort. Some consider them neglectful of key aspects of the Jedi doctrine."
"They think them brutes," The senator commented frankly. "and are embarrassed they need help, perhaps even jealous." The guide raised an eyebrow, at that statement.
"I thought senators were supposed to be diplomatic."
"What do you think?" The senator asked ignoring the guides comment.
"I think," said the guide, steering them down a set of long open stairs, obviously not built to the height for human knees, "that just because they do not put it into practice does not mean that they do not practice it." A hint of a challenge in the guides voice. The senator let it lie, and quieted on the topic for now, to observe a light saber practice.
"Do they live separately?" The guide looked up for clarification at the Senator's question, as they sat in one of the dinning halls later. "The Ghosts. Do they have their own quarters or wing? Do they keep to themselves?"
"No of course not! They live mixed in with the rest of them. We are all still Jedi after all"
'The rest of them?' The senator thought, but once again focused on the food.
"Do they interact only with each other?" The senator brought up once again, later as they wandered through the archives. The guide fell silent with a sigh, and waited for the senator to continue. "It just seemed earlier, that many avoided that ghost we passed in the hallway. He hid his face; he seemed separate. Do they keep to themselves, is that why they are so mysterious, and so unknown outside the temple?"
"No not really" the guide replied, struggling to find an answer "It's just… they are people and Jedi like any other. Each does as he or she pleases. There are no rules exactly…" Finally the guide gave in with a sigh, "But yes they do work almost exclusively with one another, that generates some mystery even within the temple. You also have to remember their job is to remain unseen. But its not like Ghosts are totally separate. The Ghost we passed in the hall did talk to me after all, and my agemate still hangs out with friends from our clan."
"Still" the senator insisted, "it must be odd to live in a bubble"
"You get used to it. Many were that way anyway" an odd expression, that contained a little sadness flashed across the guide's face so fast the senator almost missed it. The senator thought back to their walk through the halls, 'He did talk to you didn't he, I suppose you do get used to don't you" but let the subject drop.
Finally they came to the last stop on their tour, the room of a thousand fountains. The senator stared in awe, at the cascading water falls, and natural beauty, in its hidden hole far under the rest of the sprawling urban jungle above. They wandered for a while until they came to sit on a bridge over a bubbling stream, the waterfalls a pleasant murmur in the distance.
"So tell me about your agemate, the one who became a ghost?" the senator prompted as the guide slid like quicksilver into a cross legged seat on the ground.
"My agemate isn't a ghost yet, still a Padawan" The guide replied with the tiniest of eye rolls, the jedi mask once again slipping. But at the senators continued silence, "As I mentioned my agemate was odd. Nobody thought my agemate would ever become a knight. My agemate was a bit the runt of the litter. Always behind, always running and hiding from bullies. Oh yes there are Jedi bullies, despite how calm and well behaved they may seem, they are still children, who crave attachment because they have yet to learn how to live without. Small, quite, but somehow always in the wrong spot, that was my agemate. Odd little quirks too, peeped like a bird when scared." They both laughed at that.
"And now?" The senator prompted, running hands under the bridge and into the cool water.
"Oh the wrong spot at the time ended up becoming the right spot. My agemate got cornered by a ghost, the ghost had these eyes that just pin you to the ground." The guide gazed out at the stream, lost in memories, "Absolutely terrified, thought the angel of death had come early, or at least a month of detention." The guide laughed again, "My agemate was then dragged off to the council chamber, cheeping in fear all the way. Assumed an even worse fate was in store, until the Ghost flat out told the council he was taking my agemate as an apprentice and that was it. When the council asked my agemate's opinion on the match, my agemated had enough fortitude to nod consent and then promptly fainted. I can hear Master Yoda now, 'Gave the youngling heart palpatations, you did' I can safely say my agemate is quite content with the apprenticeship. My agemate is still odd, but at least no more peeping, its rather awkward in a lightsaber duel. Lots of our friends are jealous, actually, some of them haven't even drawn their lightsabers on a mission yet." The guide paused to check a chrono "I'm afraid that tour took rather longer than it was supposed to Senator, I must escort your back to your ship now."
"Of course Apprentice, lead the way please." The senator said pulling the guide up from the bridge, "but what-"
"Another time Senator, Another time" replied the guide, and they left the room of fountains.
"Thank you for the excellent tour Apprentice, I learned many interesting things today, and I feel I will be much better able to help along liaisons between the senate and the Jedi now."
"Oh it was my pleasure Senator" said the guide, shaking hands with the senator at the ramp to the senator's ship. Have a safe journey"
"Thank you, I only wish I could have met your Master, you spoke so highly of him."
"Really now Padawan? last I heard, I was driving you up a wall" said a deep baritone voice as a hand appeared on the guides shoulder.
"Only in the best way possible Master" replied the guide with a grin, looking up into the deep cowl of the ghost they had passed earlier, much earlier in their tour.
"Your-" The Senator was saved a huge lapse in dignity and composure, when with perfect timing, one of the ship's staff came down the ramp behind the Senator and interrupted what would have been a gasping fish moment.
"Thank you once-" but as the senator turned back towards the guide, the crewman's question answered, the senator was met with only empty air. The Master Ghost and his Apprentice had vanished. The shiver the senator had first felt ran once again down the senator's spine, and as the senator turned and walked back up into his ship, away from the towering spires of the temple, the senator couldn't but help and wonder if the youngling tales of ghosts disappearing into the force, just as the tales of the agemate spun by the guide had had a kernel of truth in them.
AN: I wrote this fic without gender designation as a little experiment. No character except for the ghost is ever referred to as a he or a she. It was a lot harder than I thought it would be, I am curious to see what you all thought their genders were and your reasons behind that. Drop me a review with your answer, single word answers are all I ask.