Chapter 10: First Mission
The engines of the large transport hummed beneath her as Lea Willan slept in her seat in the crowded cabin. It seemed a lot of people were travelling to Corellia at this time of year. Turbulence suddenly shook the ship, pulling Lea from her sleep. In a second she was fully alert, quickly becoming aware of her surroundings.
Noticing she was awake, Qui-Gon regarded his apprentice. "Ah, you're awake," he said. "I trust you slept well?"
"Yes, Master," she replied. She looked around and noticed several datapads on his lap, where he had been preparing reports for the council, and going over the mission data. "Have you been working on that the whole time?"
"Of course," he told her. "I have to be prepared for this mission, so I thought I'd get it done on the way. We're almost at Corellia, it's only a few hours away now."
"Oh," she said. Silence engulfed them for a moment, until the apprentice broke it once again. "This mission," she began, "is it really important?"
"It is to the Republic," her Master replied. "It has been a long time since relations between Corellia and Coruscant have been pleasant, and right now the Galactic Republic needs Corellia's military support more than ever. Their input could make a big difference in these troubled times."
"So why are they sending me with you?" she asked worriedly. "I mean this is only my first mission."
"Don't be so apprehensive, my padawan," the greying Jedi Master said in a kind tone. "You're role in this mission is one of observation. Everyone must start somewhere. Do not dwell on what is to come, only concentrate on the here and now."
"Yes Master," the apprentice replied obediently. After a thoughtful pause, she added, "So no one will get mad if I do something wrong?"
"You have been sent on this mission for experience. If you make a mistake, then you will have an opportunity to learn. No one can be mad at you for learning something you didn't know. The reason that Jedi undergo an apprenticeship before becoming Knights is so that they can learn and experience what they need to know to graduate to being a Jedi Knight. All of the time you spend as an apprentice is a lesson in life."
"Then all anyone expects of me is my best, right?" Lea asked hesitantly.
"Right." Her master smiled, and Lea realised that she could do this.
~*~*~*~*~
Upon their arrival on Corellia, an entourage of diplomats and politicians greeted the Jedi team. At the head of the party was the Senator of the planet, Altan Reames. He smiled and greeted them warmly as they mad their way toward the Corellia Legislative Building, but somehow Lea didn't trust him. She kept her mouth shut about it, however, because she knew she was still learning to harness her use of the Force, and her senses about these things probably weren't reliable. Still, she couldn't shake the bad feeling that seemed to be creeping up on her.
Within minutes they came across the Legislative building, and met with the planet's governor, Ren Taled. Governor Taled was the opposite of the senator - a young man, perhaps in his early twenties, short and of average height, he was quite attractive, unlike the greying Senator. And in contrast to the older man, Lea got a genuine feeling from this man - a warm feeling, as if he were smiling on the inside as well the outside. But, she realised, the feeling she got from the Governor made her recognize just how wrong the feeling coming from the Senator was. She definitely did not trust that man. Get over it, she told herself. There's nothing you can do about it, and besides, your master knows what he's doing. Quit worrying.
It was only a few more moments before they were at the primary conference room, where the negotiations were to take place. As soon as they took their seats, the adults began to discuss the issue of supporting the Republic.
For the first hour, at least, Lea listened intently, taking in everything that was said, and debating the topic in her mind. But after the adults had droned on for a more than an hour, without seeming to even come close to any resolution, she started to lose interest. With one part of her mind, she memorised every part of the conversation, dedicating it to memory in case she needed to analyse it later. The remainder of her very much aware mind however, began to wander toward other topics.
As her eyes roved the room, her gaze soon settled on the young governor on the other side of the room. Looking the young man up and down, she allowed herself one decidedly un-Jedi-like thought. Hmm, she reflected. I wonder what Governor Taled would look like in his-
Padawan. Came her Master's stern reprimand. Keep your attention on the talks, where it should be. Do not allow yourself to become distracted. We will talk about this later.
Yes, Master, she replied despondently. Now not only was she bored to death, but her Master was upset with her as well. Still… No. She would not allow herself to go down that train of thought again. It would only get her in even more trouble. She sighed inwardly. It was going to be a long afternoon.
*~*~*~*~*
Three hours later, the issue still wasn't resolved. "But," her Master reassured her, "these type of negotiations are rarely resolved on the first day of talks. I didn't come here expecting to finish the mission on the first afternoon. We should not be discouraged."
"Yes, Master." Although she wouldn't admit it to her Master, she was just glad the negotiations were over for the day. She had never thought that missions could be so dull. But you never know what's around the corner…
Most of the politicians had left the room by now, with only a few remaining. The Jedi were getting ready to leave themselves, and head back to their accommodations in the city when one of the Senator's assistants approached them. Glancing around to make sure they were the only ones in the room, the aide spoke in hushed tones.
"My name is Kira Nolan. I am the Senator's chief assistant, and I've been wanting to talk to you about the Senator."
"Go on," Qui-Gon prompted her quietly.
"The Senator has much control over the Governor's actions," Kira continued. "Taled rarely does anything without first consulting with Reames. I do not trust him. Governor Taled has wanted to become a full member of the Republic for some time now. But the Senator has always disagreed, and Taled did not want to cause an upset. I believe Reames is involved in illegal activities on the planet, and he does not want the Republic interfering. The Governor completely trusts him, and he has no idea what Reames could be up to. I know you came here to be involved in the negotiations, but I really think you should check this out. I have reason to believe the Senator has set up in a factory across the city."
"We didn't come here to conduct an investigation," Qui-Gon told her. "But I think this could be important to this mission. I would like to check out this factory. If the Senator is involved in corrupt dealings, then we should find out."
Lea smiled inwardly. The mission was getting more exciting by the minute.