By Sapadu

Chapter 3: Exile

"All I am, a child with promises. All I have are miles full of promises of home."

"I had that dream again, last night." It had been going on for a long time now, on and off, that Ken would wake up with a profound sense of pain panging in his chest, and usually for the same, however foggy reason. He hadn't been entirely sure what it had been that made him feel like this, but Ken did know that his dream was usually about the same thing every time he woke up, crying.

The details were never that clear- really, the most distinct thing Ken remembered was just the feelings, the distant emotion that someone in his dream had been feeling. Sometimes, he had a sense of two people, then one of the people disappearing, and then the ache would come, but he couldn't really remember anything specific. In any case, he knew that it was important, even if he couldn't explain why.

Thankfully, Dee-Jay never asked for explanations, nor questioned when Ken talked about his dreams.

"Do you still not remember exactly what you saw?" Dee-Jay asked, calmly, while Ken munched on the bread before him. It was dry and salty and fell apart in his mouth, but still made a distinct snap as he bit. Supposedly, it was made out of nutrient paste, which would explain why it was so disgusting, but that didn't bother Ken quite so much as the fact that his stomach always was growling two hours after breakfast. No matter how nutritious his meal was, it was never very filling.

"Not really... I kind of felt this sense of two people... and one of them was smiling... but the other one was crying. I could not understand why, though..." Ken answered, reaching for the water. Dee-Jay's ruby-like visual sensors lingered on Ken for a moment, but eventually returned to operate the computer. It was an odd arrangement, but since Ken was the only one here who needed to eat, there was no real kitchen. As such, meals were eaten right in the Jedi Library, where they could start classes as soon as Ken was finished eating.

It was for this exact reason that Ken ate very, very slowly.

"This is probably your latent abilities with the Force surfacing." Dee-Jay said, "It is a mild degree of being able to read minds, or possibly see either fore coming or past events. Since you only have this sense in your dreams, I would say it is probably the latter- mind-reading tends to be more driven during periods of consciousness and generally is more concrete in details and images."

Ken blinked for a moment, the corner of his bread still in his mouth, before he released it and squinted at the teacher droid.

"Dee-Jay... what did you just SAY?" Ken finally asked. A good portion of the sophisticated words Dee-Jay had used, being restricted for more educated beings, had gone right over Ken's head without even ruffling his hair. If it had been a living creature, DJ-88 would have sighed at Ken's question, but as it was, there was no response.

"In other words, when you get older, you will be able to do things with the Force. Now, it is time for the lesson to begin." Dee-Jay started up a holo projector, even as Ken protested.

"But I am not finished, yet!" Indeed- there was still half of the nutrient paste bread on his plate and the water glass still had a gulp or two left, but Dee-Jay's mechanical tone turned stern.

"You have been deliberately dragging out mealtimes for awhile now, Ken- from now on, we will start at a set time, so put the rest of that bread in your mouth and chew while you listen to the lecture." Dee-Jay jabbed a finger in the direction of Ken's plate. As soon as Dee-Jay had turned around, Ken stuck out his tongue, but obeyed, with a slight 'Hmph' as he stuffed the bread fully into his mouth and chewed it with deliberate noisiness.

Dee-Jay paid it no attention and began the lecture.

(A/N: Yeah... I lifted this straight out of Wookiepedia... see the end for proper documentation- MLA format.)

"The Jedi Order was an ancient monastic peacekeeping organization unified by its belief and observance of the Force, specifically the light side. The Jedi were the guardians of peace and justice in the Galactic Republic, and became the most famous of the various groups that relied on the Force for their power. Led by a series of Jedi Councils, the Order grew over the millennia despite facing many trials, most often threats from the Sith, wielders of the dark side of the Force." (Jedi Order para. 1) Ken tried chewing a little louder, but the bread was now soft in his mouth and didn't make even the slightest bit of a crunch. Now, his mouth felt dry and sticky, and tasted like the sour, bitter bread flakes. He grabbed his water and gulped it down, even though his mouth still stung with the nasty taste.

"During several Great Schisms, Dark Jedi broke away from the order. These schisms led to several wars including the Hundred Year Darkness after which the Dark Jedi fled and founded the Sith Empire. The Sith were eventually found by the Republic and their discovery led to The Great Hyperspace War, and a Sith invasion of Coruscant. The Jedi on Coruscant, led by Jedi Guardian Anavus Svag and Jedi Master Memit Nadill, successfully defended the planet and defeated the Sith. But their dark brethren wouldn't stay defeated for long and during the next several thousand years many wars would be fought. A thousand years later, after The Great Sith War, the Mandalorians saw their chance and attacked the weakened Republic. After the war, the Jedi that had led the Republic's military, Revan and Malak, disappeared. When they returned it became clear they had turned to the Dark Side, and during the war that followed many Jedi died. During the aftermath the Order was left numbering less than one-hundred Jedi, until it was rebuilt by the Jedi Exile and the Lost Jedi." (Jedi Order para. 2) Ken had heard so many lectures like this before- it was really boring. So, the Force was out there, and the Jedi did what it told them to do. That was pretty simple. Why did he have to learn history like this? If he was going to be a Jedi, he'd just need to use the Force, and he'd know everything, right? That's what Dee-Jay had said in past lectures. Besides, what did it matter what the bad guys did how many millennia ago? They were dead- dead and gone and not here.

"Many years later the galaxy was again engulfed in a War between the Republic and the Sith. Led by Lord Hoth, the Jedi were able to regroup and push back the Sith, who eventually withdrew to the planet Ruusan. After seven long battles on Ruusan..." (Jedi Order para. 3) Ken's eyelids drooped a little. He really should have gone to bed last night when he was supposed to, but... "Should have" was one of those phrases that didn't count for much when you HADN'T done what you were "Supposed to" have done. He knew that well enough by now, even if he'd never be able to be so eloquent about it. And Dee-Jay would notice if Ken put his head down and fell asleep during the lecture- he'd done it before, and Dee-Jay's lecture had been... less than comfortable to sit through.

Now, Dee-Jay was rambling something about the wars- explaining how they had started, what the conflicts were, and how they were fought. Ken didn't really care- wars were boring, and kind of stupid, anyway. So lots of people "died"... why didn't the people left behind just fix them and bring them back to life? Droids in the city did that all the time- why were people too stupid to know how to do it?

Ken's mind started to wander, wondering when this stupid lecture would end so he could go find Chip and they could play tag or something like that... then it occurred to Ken, as Dee-Jay's back was to him, completely, that there was a way out. Dee-Jay hadn't yet looked back to make sure Ken was still in his seat, so if he moved quietly enough...

"In 5,000 BBY, the Republic discovered the Sith and the Great Hyperspace War began. Though it ended with Dark Lord of the Sith Naga Sadow in suspended animation on Yavin 4- here in other words- and..." (History para. 12) Dee-Jay paused, suddenly noticing the lack of huffing and chair scraping and other noises Ken usually made to show he was in a bad mood. Unless the boy had fallen asleep again... Dee-Jay turned and noticed the chair was empty.

"For some reason... this is not surprising..." Dee-Jay mused.

"Boy, am I glad to see YOU, Chip!" Ken said, pouncing on the droid who was exactly his height and sending both of them to the floor, "Come on, let us play tag- Dee-Jay's lectures are boring." Ken got up when Chip stood and gave him a shove. It was weird, but for as long as Ken could remember, Chip had always been the same size as him- something about his arms and legs made them extend every year for every centimeter that Ken grew, so they always remained the exact same height.

"What was it today?" Chip asked. Ken rolled his eyes.

"Some stupid lecture about the Jedi Order and all the wars they had with the Sith... Stuff I have heard before." Ken hadn't, but he knew Chip wouldn't argue if he said that- for some reason, a program had been added to his child behavior that made him something of a physical embodiment of a conscience. With an appropriate lie, however, Ken usually got around the guilt trip.

"Then, you are it, today." Chip proclaimed, tapping Ken's head with his metallic fingers and making a dash in the opposite direction. Ken went after him, skidding to a halt when Chip suddenly turned 180 degrees and started to run back towards Ken, pulling him between the domes as he did.

"Dee-Jay?" Ken asked, but Chip hushed him. Ken peered out a little to see Dee-Jay and HC going through the paths that they could fit onto, obviously looking for himself and Chip.

"I do not believe this is our appropriate function- to search for a five-year-old Human boy like this when he should be studying quietly in the library. It is not fitting for my circuits to be poking around like this." HC was fussing, even as Dee-Jay attempted to pacify the otherwise harsh words.

"This is natural in the maturing stage and learning process. As soon as he is found, appropriate punishment must be used to correct the misbehavior- otherwise, it will not be effective. In any case, at least this is a sign that he is developing normally. Now, all that is needed is for him to learn the discipline to become a Jedi." HC made a strange noise that, in an organic creature, might have been a huff or snort.

"That boy? He is far too impatient and impulsive- he would never make a good Jedi, even if he did manage to become one." HC snapped. Ken's ears twitched, the words seeming to go straight to his brain, penetrating into it and tickling his nerves to the point he just couldn't sit still. As though something else was controlling his muscles, Ken jumped out from the hiding position and started to shout at the retreating backs of Dee-Jay and HC, pointing as he did.

"Hey! Shut up, HC- I will be a great Jedi someday! You just wait for it- I will show you!" Dee-Jay and HC stopped and turned to stare.

"Ah, you were right- that DID work." HC finally said to Dee-Jay, whom had immediately started in Ken's direction.

"Oh SNAP!" Ken skidded around, but was promptly caught by the scruff of his neck by Dee-Jay's large, metallic hands. Even Chip was grabbed and lifted clear off the floor as Dee-Jay dragged them back to the library, both of them kicking and squirming every step of the way.

Sleeping habits, while normally an individual characteristic, seem to have some sort of root in genetics. This was an observation that Mehgan Retaw made as she looked down at the little one- earlier in the night, Ken had kicked and squirmed and pushed away the blanket, but now, he was curled up around his pillow, which was easily as big as himself.

Really, she didn't know who she saw more of in this boy.

"There is a reason for this visit, is there not?" DJ-88 asked, observing Mehgan's watching over the sleeping five-year-old. With a casual shrug, she turned away to face the droid.

"Just a check up." She said, "How is he doing, otherwise?"

"Developmentally speaking, he is average- perhaps a little too energetic and enthusiastic, but that might be because of the diet situation, since nutrient paste has a large percentage of preservatives that are stimulants. Other than that, normal growth spurts, average maturity, if a bit easily distracted and less than cooperative to his studies." DJ-88 reported. Mehgan snickered, just a little bit.

"In other words, he's been skipping out on lectures." She surmised, resisting the temptation to reach down and pull up the blanket that Ken had kicked away. DJ-88 did it for her, anyway, as soon as it noticed the difference, "Master Yoda once gave me some advice with how to deal with that: Sometimes, better than a stick, a carrot works."

Somehow or another, Mehgan wasn't too surprised with this development in Ken- overly enthusiastic and excitable. Loud and boisterous and far too energetic to be expected to sit still. But, at the same time, he also had some other quirks that Mehgan had seen in quite a different circumstance- the unusual accent, the odd way of following the droids around like a lost chick, the strange habit of never using contractions, even the little things about how he viewed the wars and blood and death that was required in his history lessons.

DJ-88 seemed to know what Mehgan was thinking.

"This boy is neither his mother, nor his father." It said, almost severely. Mehgan looked away, turning her attention to the boy's desk and closet- absolutely everything the boy owned was silver, right down to his clothes. Perhaps that was a good thing, as a child wearing silver clothes probably looked more like a droid than Mehgan had when she'd first come to the City. She'd HATED how she'd been stared at by the droids and it only made sense that in a child Ken's age, being "Different" from other people and being ostracized and ogled at was quite a shaping experience.

Still, it was going to be interesting to see how he reacted when he got to his teens and wanted to wear... other things.

"Putting that aside, I also came to deliver something." Mehgan said, as though DJ-88 had never spoken, though it did question what Mehgan had to deliver, as she reached inside her robe and pulled out the ball of fur and feathers that had been sleeping peacefully inside her pouch, "Here- it's an animal. I think."

The creature uncurled and let out a mewling sound as it yawned. DJ-88 took the animal from her hands and examined it for a moment.

"A mooka. Male. Though they normally are not this size." It noted. Mehgan shrugged, almost apathetically, before the droid continued, "Funny, but HC-100 was complaining about how much we dote on this boy..." It let the sentence trail, but Mehgan quickly bristled at the indirect accusation.

"This isn't doting." She snapped, "It's a lesson."

"A lesson?"

"Yes- a lesson." When DJ-88 didn't seem to comprehend, Mehgan rolled her eyes, aggravated, "Ken still doesn't know the difference between living beings and droids- he thinks everything can be treated like machinery, isn't that right?" The droids visual receptors flickered again in that blinkish manner, before it confirmed this was true, "Because of this, he has no sense of life. To him, if someone dies, they can just be fixed, and everything will be okay, just like droids are. He even thinks of himself like that- unaware that he can be harmed or permanently damaged. If he was allowed to go out into the world now, he'd recklessly put himself in harms way and easily be hurt."

"And having a pet to care for will be the solution. Yes, that does make sense." DJ-88 finished.

"Good. Just so we're agreed." Mehgan said, turning back to watch Ken for a moment longer. It was still such a painful experience, looking down at this boy. Part of her wanted to reach out and muss up his hair and act like it was still Kendalina under her care in the Jedi Temple, or even the House of Zuka, but another part of her felt such bitterness that this boy even existed she was almost tempted to put her hand around his little neck and squeeze.

These thoughts were quickly dismissed as the boy shifted in his sleep a little, one hand coming up to his mouth and thumb slipping in past his lips. A flash of red eyes and dark hair cut through Mehgan's memories and settled her emotions back into their proper place- even though she'd never had children of her own, she was this boy's "BaBa Maggie". His mother had said that much to her, and Mehgan had sworn that she would protect him.

If it's for my padawan, I can do anything.

But at the same time, she felt... well, almost sorry for this boy. He was going to be a Jedi, someday- it was in his blood, but at the same time, he had no choice. The entire galaxy had been wiped clear of the Jedi, to the point that any child with the potential simply wouldn't have a choice if the Order was to be revived. But it shouldn't have to be that way- there should be some choice. After all, it had been the idea that a child sensitive in the Force DIDN'T have a choice that led to...

Mehgan let out a sigh and glanced over the room again, just to be sure that there was nothing too off about it. Safe for a little boy, conducive learning environment, as well as entertaining enough that Ken would at least grow up with SOME sense of humor. Then, the tiny glimmer of silver on his desk caught her eye. Upon closer inspection, it was, indeed, the little half of the Chalactan faith stone that Kendalina had given Ken as she'd...

So, Ken still had it. And, from the little chain it was on, he probably wore it everyday.

"Wish I could be here to see his face when he wakes up to see that little fuzz ball on top of him." Mehgan sighed, leaving the dome house and headed back to the repulsor-shaft.

In the morning, DJ-88 could hear a shriek from Dome House 12, telling him that Ken was, indeed, awake, and the little mooka licking him in the face had been a very unanticipated surprise.

A/N: This chapter, I was listening to Enya. She's the version who I used for the title.

So... yeah. We are seeing similarities, yes?

Works Cited

"Jedi Order." Wookiepedia: The Star Wars Wiki. 3 May 2008. 01 May 2008. starwars./wiki/JediOrder.

"History of the Jedi Order." Wookiepedia: The Star Wars Wiki. 22 April 2008. 01 May 2008. starwars./wiki/HistoryoftheJediOrder.