AN: Thanks for the favorite & follow, Thrawn74!

Chapter 4

"There you are," Chaf'alm'itrina said, securing the bandage around her arm with an adhesive strip. "I shall come in the morning to change your bandage again and apply more of the burn cream. I'll leave you some medicine for the pain for tonight, as well. You will be able to take more in three hours."

"Thanks, but I don't think I'll need it. I feel fine, really," Chiara said.

"Your people must be resilient, indeed. I've never seen broken bones mend so quickly," he commented.

Chiara smiled. Chaf'alm'itrina had been saying things like that since she insisted on walking out the medbay on her own power when the arrived at the Chiss base just a few hours after she first woke up in his medbay. The first thing he had done when they got to the more sophisticated medbay of the base was take a detailed scan of her torso. He'd been quite surprised to find that her broken ribs had already healed. The other medics hadn't believed him that they had ever been broken until he retrieved a copy of the scan he took in the ship's medbay while she was still unconscious. They kept her there for a few more hours, not seeming to know what to do with her now that she didn't need medical attention. Finally, one of the warriors appeared to escort her to a non-descript cell that was little more than a cot and a small fresher.

Chaf'alm'itrina snapped the case of his medkit shut. "Captain Mitth'raw'nuruado wishes to see you. I will escort you to him."

Chiara followed him along the winding corridors of the base, ignoring the warrior that had fallen in behind them. She had deduced that they were on a planet from the lack of engine vibrations, but that was all she knew about her surroundings. The walls of the base seemed to be built out of some sort of composite metal that she had never seen before. The place seemed to be quite busy, as they were passing quite a few people on their way. Most of them stared at her curiously. Apparently, they didn't get many visitors.

Finally, Chaf'alm'itrina stopped outside a doorway and pressed a button. The door hissed open, revealing a small office with a desk and two chairs. Captain Mitth'raw'nuruado stood studying an elaborate painting in rich colors that adorned one wall.

"Come in," he said, not turning from the artwork. Chiara stepped in and the door slid shut behind her, leaving her alone with the captain. "I trust you are recovering your strength, Jedi Master Chiara Matao."

"Yes, thank you, Captain Mitthh'raw'nuruado," she said, matching his formal tone. "Your medics are quite skilled. I am most grateful for their aid."

"Yet I understand that your ribs healed without their intervention. The only treatment they have provided has been to your burns," he observed, his back still turned to her as he continued studying the painting.

"I have some small skill at healing myself," she said carefully. The Chiss clearly had never heard of Jedi and she wasn't sure how they would react to her abilities. It was better not to tell them too much at once.

"And slowing your own heart rate, it would seem. I've seen the reports from the medics and your heart rate was nearly 75% lower than what they have established as your resting heart rate when you were first brought on board." He finally turned to look at her, his glowing red eyes scrutinizing her face. "What other 'abilities' do you have?"

She met his gaze without flinching. "Do you want me to run through the whole list, or do you want the short version?" she asked drily.

He arched one blue-black eyebrow at her. "Perhaps you can explain this device to me, instead," he said, lifting a long silver cylinder out of a drawer in his desk. "Is it a weapon?"

"Ah, that's my lightsaber. It is a weapon, but it's mostly used for defensive purposes. It's an energy blade."

"How is it activated?" he asked, turning it over and examining it.

"The activation stud is on the side. If you push it, the blade will activate at that end, " she said, pointing.

Mitth'raw'nuruado held the lightsaber out gingerly and pressed the activation stud. A blue blade leapt out, thrumming gently in the silence of the office. "Fascinating," he said, giving it an experimental flick of the wrist. "But I fail to see how this can be used practically, even for defense. It would require close proximity to your enemy, but they would have ample time to attack before you got in close enough to use it."

Chiara shrugged, ignoring the itch in her palm that tempted her to use the Force to wrench her lightsaber away from him. She had never been fond of letting anyone else handle the lightsaber that she had so painstakingly built. "It's quite effective, if you know how to use it. It can deflect energy bolts and cut through most objects." Telling him about enhanced Jedi reflexes probably wasn't the best of ideas until she had a better idea of what he intended to do with her.

He still didn't look like he was entirely convinced, but he flicked the lightsaber off and put it back in the drawer. "Please, have a seat, Jedi Master Chiara Matao."

"Thank you," she said, sitting down in the chair across the desk from him, stretching out to the Force as she did so to try and get some sense of this man. "You can call me Master Matao, though. The whole title is usually reserved for formal occasions." She saw his eyebrow twitch and she caught a subtle flicker of displeasure. Oh, he's probably not so enthusiastic about the idea of calling me 'Master,' since these people clearly know nothing about the Jedi. "Actually, just Chiara is fine. It's not like the being a Jedi means anything out here," she amended.

"Titles are never meaningless, even when those who use them do not understand their full implications. Nevertheless, I thank you, Chiara," he said, inclining his head slightly. "My technicians have finished examining your craft. They have concluded that your statement that this is an early prototype is indeed true. Do you often test new craft?"

Chiara shook her head. "No, this is the first prototype I have ever tried. I just happened to have a stopover on a planet where an old acquaintance tinkers around with ship design. He knows I have a penchant for speed and maneuverability and asked me to put it through its paces and give him some feedback." She smiled wryly. "I don't think I'll be giving it a very positive review."

"The technicians believe that it cannot be repaired. The hyperdrive sustained a total meltdown and almost all of the systems were destroyed by the power surge that it produced. They are currently trying to retrieve enough navigational data to ascertain your course so that you can return to your region of space," he told her.

"While I appreciate the effort, I'm not sure what good it will do when I don't have a functional ship to use to get back. Unless perhaps you would be willing to have one of your people take me back? I'm sure the Jedi Council would be happy to provide you with a reward for returning me."

"Unfortunately, at this time none of our ships can be spared," he replied.

She swallowed the wave of frustration that was building in her chest. There is no emotion, there is peace, she recited silently. 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. She took a deep breath. "What would you suggest, then? I can't stay here forever."

"I propose this: that you remain here until a ship becomes available. When one does, I will see to it that you are returned to your J'di Council. In the meantime, perhaps we can come to a mutually agreeable arrangement for your food and shelter."

"What did you have in mind?" she asked, wondering if she really wanted to know.

"Nothing too taxing. I would like your company and for you to teach me your language."

"My company? Why?" she asked. "Wanting to learn Basic I can understand. My company, though..."

"I wish to learn more about your region of space and these J'di," he answered simply.

"Fair enough. I'd obviously get the opportunity to learn more about your people, too."

"Then it is settled. I will make the necessary arrangements and see to it that you are moved to more comfortable accommodations," he said, picking up a datapad and tapping away at it. And with that, the interview was over.