SHEKINAH CITY, SAPHROTH, DEEP CORE
Carya Isha sighed as she scanned the datapad on the orphan who had recently arrived from the Starfire. Frankly, it hurt like a blaster bolt to the gut.
The child was orphaned, refusing to communicate except through brief Force speech and images and refused to leave the room she had been assigned at the Shekinah City Building. She sat for hours, buried in her icy depression and rarely ate.
It was a situation which Carya was desperate to break – the horrible grief, shock and depression could kill the girl faster than starvation.
That was unacceptable. Carya had been born on Saphroth, like most of the population and she had been raised with a ferocious love of life. Letting the child die was no more an option than slitting her own wrists. Both she and the child had a bright future, and so much that they could do.
"Hi!" chirped a voice from the doorway.
Carya turned to find a bright-eyed, furry Chadra-Fan standing there.
"Ensign Kelki Morr – I'm from the Shadow. How's the kid?"
Carya shook her head. "She's buried herself in her head. She won't communicate, spends most of her time in her memories, as far as our healers can tell." That was as far as Carya got before Kelki swore.
"You the girl's assigned guardian?"
Carya nodded. "Carya Isha. Do you know the child, Ma'am?"
Kelki laughed sharply. "Hell, I was her, a bunch of years ago."
The child was sitting at her window when Carya and Kelki entered.
To Carya's immediate shock, Kelki walked over to the child – almost as tall as she was – and cuffed the back of her head.
Ambrraksha yelped, jumping to her feet and backing away. Her eyes seemed to try and glare, but they were wobbly and unfocused.
"Yeah yeah. Glare all you want. Maybe you actually got some guts – but I highly doubt it. Poor you."
"Ensign Morr!"
"Shut up," Kelki snapped. "You. Ambrraksha. Were your parents as embarrassed as I think they were to have a kid like you?"
Ambrraksha shrieked and hit Kelki on the arm.
The Chadra-Fan whoofed. "Not bad. My grannie could do better." Kelki grinned. "You wanna sit on your butt and feel sorry for yourself, or you want to do something that's actually interesting?"
Ambrraksha stared at the diminutive alien, then tilted her head, her golden eyes cold – but thoughtful.
Carya took a careful, deep breath. "The semester at the Jedi Academy starts next week." She spoke carefully.
Ambrraksha spun on a dime, staring with unabashed shock at Carya.
i want!
Carya winced at the Force speech inside her head – it was nearly a yell and she wasn't good at blocking. "Well young lady, there are a few things we need to do to get you ready. You have to pass a few tests, you know."
Ambrraksha sneered. She would pass them. After all, she was already a Jedi. Her father had been training her for this. He had even given her his secret lightsaber, the pale, yellow-bladed weapon that had been in her family for more than a thousand years . . . of course she hadn't used it yet, but that wasn't the point.
Carya smiled. "Well then, there's nothing to worry about, is there?" She answered the girl's brightly arrogant thoughts.
The child's thoughts had opened up like a book that had suddenly been flung open to reveal brilliant illustrations, pages and pages of thoughts, information and personality.
Now, they would see what they could do for her.
Ambrraksha looked up and up at the cathedral-like spires of the Saphroth Jedi Academy. She had been determined to not react to anything. She didn't know these people – even if she did like Kelki – and reactions were weaknesses to strangers.
But this place looked freaking wizard.
"Are you going to the Academy?"
Ambrraksha jerked in surprise when a scarlet-skinned, Twi'lek girl moved into step beside her.. "I'm Saria Vash. Who're you?" The girl slowed her strides to match Ambrraksha's.
Ambrraksha hesitated, then glanced away and lengthened her strides.
Who are you?
Ambrraksha tripped as she heard the voice in her head. The girl was another Jedi trainee! She glared at the paperwork that had scattered– then transferred the glare to Saria. leave alone! it stung more than Ambrraksha liked to admit that the other girl's Force speech was clearer and far more articulate than hers.
No. Saria's voice in her head gentled – and then suddenly Ambrraksha felt tears burn her eyes at the kind sympathy and warmth in Saria's mental touch. The girl helped her pick all the papers up then offered her a hand up.
"You're new on Saphroth?" Saria guessed.
Ambrraksha nodded. ambrraksha carrick.
Saria smiled. "I'm pleased to meet you, Ambrraksha. I'm just starting at the Jedi Academy, too." At Ambrraksha's look of disbelief, the smile became a sharp-toothed grin. "I'm good at Force speech – but not at other things. I bet you're better than me at something."
Ambrraksha was confused . . . but she thought that she didn't like being alone. Even on an entire planet of people, one could feel alone.
Maybe she didn't have to be.
The day her first class came, Ambrraksha was annoyed to find that she was nervous. She wanted to learn, but there was something here that both interested her, challenged her – and warned her. She wondered if it was the Force that was warning her.
The teacher was a beautiful woman with white blond hair, turquoise eyes – and no tolerance for messing around. Her name was Aja.
"I will help all of you learn about the Force. What you can do, what are your strengths and what are your paths to take. But if you are not willing to pay attention, to fully agree to learn and reach for your Force potential, I do not want you here. Learning can be fun, playful and something to enjoy but it is not a silly game you play and then toss aside. There are other places to learn little tricks to impress your friends or a mate. If you find that you do not wish to learn anymore, you tell me quietly and I will find something better for you to do. I will not demand an answer, I will not force you to remain or do something you do not wish to do. Understood?"
"Yes." It was mumbled by some, spoken clearly by others in Basic and other languages. Ambrraksha nodded.
Aja's gaze hit her like a lazer blast.
You will speak aloud here, little Hawk. It is my price for teaching you.
Ambrraksha gasped. The woman's Force voice was even clearer than Saria's!
teach me everything ? Ambrraksha challenged the woman.
Aja's beautiful eyes laughed. Speak the question aloud and I will answer it.
Ambrraksha frowned – then felt her cheeks flash hot as she realized everyone was staring at her. She took a deep breath, coughing a little. Her throat was a little rough. "Will you teach us everything?" She asked it softly, but the walls of the main meeting hall of the Academy seemed to make it echo a little.
Aja smiled warmly and Ambrraksha felt Saria grab her hand, squeezing it. "I will teach you everything I know – and you will learn more. Each path, each way you walk will likely be different. There will be training for you to learn methods of meditation, to see far, to calm yourself and others and very soon, lightsaber training." That had Ambrraksha's eyes widening.
"You may choose your learning partners but everyone will eventually learn to work with others as well. We may have competition, but there is a fine line between playful competition and jealous rivalry. Do not cross it. We are a different school than the Jedi of the outside galaxy but we still follow the code." Aja pointed to the wall to the right of her. Carved into the wall were the words:
There is no emotion, there is peace.
There is no ignorance, there is knowledge.
There is no passion, there is serenity.
There is no chaos, there is harmony.
There is no death, there is the Force.
Ambrraksha read the words and smiled. They were almost like old friends. She could remember both her father and mother telling her the code, again and again.
The pain of loss hit her again unexpectedly in the chest like a knife of ice. She continued to listen to Aja speak, but the words were further away from her now. The pain was horribly distracting. It felt like she was bleeding from the chest . . .
"Ambrraksha!" Saria put an arm around her and began leading her from the hall.
The teacher's eyes fell on Saria and the scarlet Twi'lek girl spoke through the Force. Ambrraksha couldn't hear her, but it must have been the right thing because Aja called the other students to attention and simply continued speaking.
When they reached a doorway at the end of the hallway, Saria hauled it open, punching her shoulder against the heavy thing and pulled Ambrraksha through it.
It closed with a sound like the ringing of a great bell.
Ambrraksha closed her eyes. Her very first day at the Academy and she had very nearly burst into tears in front of everyone.
"Ambrraksha, why are you hurting?"
"They tore off my wings," Ambrraksha murmured. Her gaze drifted for a moment, then snapped forward when Saria shook her fiercely. "My parents. My parents are dead and it still feels like I'm mostly dead, too."
"You have to change that."
Ambrraksha glared at Saria, stinging tears starting to burn her cheeks. "It hurts!"
Saria sighed, sitting down beside Ambrraksha on the marble steps. "You gotta heal, Ambrraksha. If you don't want to, you have to do it for your mom and dad. What would they say if this happened – if they were still alive?"
Ambrraksha thought for a moment, scrubbing at the irritating tears on her cheeks. "My asha – that's my dad, Shane – he would have told me that he went to the Force and he'd still watch me. That I should be at peace with that. My aya, my mom Galatea . . ." Ambrraksha smiled a little. "She would have told me that everyone's gotta go to the Force sometimes. She went keeping me safe and she would have said that's a good way to go." A few more stinging tears slipped down Ambrraksha's cheeks – and then she gave a wobbly smile.