Okay, this chapter is where things start getting interesting; and fun!!
Surprisingly enough, the 'fresher training didn't take much. All Kelmi and Belria had to do was lead Kita to the girls' refresher, explain what it was for, and Kita always used one ever since. It really was as if the puppy could understand them.
Though it was a little odd walking into a refresher and seeing a dog walk out of the stall.
As the years passed, Kita grew bit by bit into a lean and strong dog, reaching a Zabrak's waist in height.
When Belria was thirteen, just after she was selected to be an Ithorian Jedi Knight's Padawan, she went to the Jedi archives to look up any information about Kita's breed. What she found delighted her.
"Kita!" she shouted as she exited the library, gaining a reproachful look from the librarian.
A familiar pattering of claws on the floor was heard echoing down the hallway as Jedi merely sidestepped to clear a path for the dog. Kita's long light brown tail wagged happily in recognition.
"Kita, I finally found out what kind of dog you are!" Belria said in happiness. "You're a Corellian Noblon!"
Kita cocked her head to the side, having no idea what a Corellian Noblon was.
"A Corellian Noblon is a rare canine species only native to Corellia." Belria explained. "They are extremely rare, but they can live up to one thousand years! Corellian nobility often own one as a pet. A lot of times, Corellian Noblons are the representation or symbol for the noble family, a sort of keeper of the family since they live for generations. They're known to be extremely intelligent, too! But I don't think any of them could beat you when it comes to intelligence, Kita; that comes with being Force-sensitive, I guess."
Kita bowed her head and examined the floor for a moment, possibly thinking about what she heard. Then, she looked up and put her paw on Belria's arm. Belria heard the whisper in her mind that she now knew came from the dog. Just because you know what I am now… this doesn't change anything, right?
Belria's eyes widened. "No, of course not, Kita! Why would you think that?"
Kita's head lowered in apology. Then it popped up again. Wait… did you say one thousand years?!
Belria nodded. "Yep."
Kita and Belria looked at each other for a few moments, just taking comfort in each other's presence, when Belria's master walked up.
"Hello there, Kita," the Knight said; by now, mostly everyone had gotten used to talking to the dog in recognition. She offered a nod of the head in respect. Then, he continued, "Padawan, we have a briefing for our first mission. We must go."
Excitement flooded through Belria, and she could sense a twinge of envy coming from Kita. She looked down at her companion.
"Hey, don't worry, Kita, I'm sure you'll have some adventures of your own."
Belria walked off behind her master, a slight bounce in her step, and she smiled; she couldn't wait for her first mission!
Kita watched Belria walk off and turn the corner, her master leading the way. After they were gone, and Kita was satisfied by sensing Belria's presence, the dog headed off. She had a clan member to find, after all.
Belria was right; Kita would have adventures of her own, maybe. She already had quite a few, especially as she spent her first year in the Jedi Temple.
The Corellian Noblon remembered quite a few little adventures and… accidents. One time, when she was two, and starting to really feel the Force, she accidentally Force-pushed a ball she was playing with to where it bounced off of a wall and landed right between High Council member Jedi Master Niira Varree. The Iktotchi Jedi blinked for a few moments, and Kita took the opportunity to run for her life with her tail between her legs.
The dog let out a pant that was equivalent to a sigh. She knew that since she was just a dog she would never really go anywhere. It was unfair, but that was a part of life from what she heard. Shaking the thoughts off, she used her nose and her Force-sensitivity to find the missing youngling.
The youngling she was looking for reminded her of Kelmi, a Human girl who, at first, didn't seem to respect Kita very much. Kelmi was now a Padawan, already having the experience of three missions under her belt. She and Belria were close friends, as well as the Cerean Padawan Tarrno-Beld-Ono. The trio was quite a nuisance to the Jedi Knights and Masters, but like any other teenagers, it was to be expected.
Kita walked to a turbolift and brought her front paws onto the wall. She pressed the button to call the 'lift, and then sat down patiently. Thirteen years in the Jedi Temple had taught her a lot in the practical sense, but she barely knew anything Force-related; oh, sure, she knew the Jedi Code, the different Jedi ranks, she practically knew everything that had to do with the Order and the Temple; but she didn't know any moves.
You know; the cool flashy stuff? That the other Jedi do? If Kita was Force-sensitive why couldn't she learn some? She fully understood that, as a dog, there wasn't much she could do, but she wanted to learn something.
The turbolift arrived and the doors opened, revealing a Padawan who was leaning against the transparisteel looking bored. The Jedi looked down at Kita and then smiled.
"Hey, Kita," he said. "What level?"
Kita walked in and sent her thoughts to him; at least she knew that much about the Force.
Seventy-third level, please.
The Padawan pressed in the level and the turbolift was on its way, going up about thirty stories.
"So…" the boy trailed off, trying to spark a conversation, however awkward it still seemed to someone his age. "Anything interesting happen to you today?"
Kita looked up at him. Besides finding out my breed and searching for some youngling who thought it was funny to vanish off the face of the planet? Not really.
"You found out what breed you are?" the boy asked, now interested.
Kita let out another pant meant to be a sigh. Yes. Essentially.
"Well, what are you?"
I'm a Corellian Noblon. They're supposedly a rare intelligent breed on Corellia used as figureheads in nobility.
"Wow," the Padawan muttered. "I guess that explains something."
Kita threw an irritated glance. Just because my breed is intelligent, doesn't mean that Force-sensitivity for them is a credit a dozen. Besides, they only live on Corellia; I have no idea how I got here.
"Well, maybe the Corellian senator owned you," the boy offered. "Or at least your parents; maybe you got lost in a crowd and wandered into the Jedi Temple."
And mysteriously became Force-sensitive?
"Maybe,"
Right. I'll believe that when sand panthers fly.
"See? You are connected to Corellia; sand panthers are native there!"
That doesn't mean anything, Kita grumbled bitterly in his head.
"I think you're getting a little panicked about it," the Padawan said knowingly.
And I think this is your stop.
The turbolift came to a stop, and the doors opened. The Padawan walked off and threw one last glance over his shoulder before the doors hissed shut. The turbolift resumed its course, but Kita didn't pay it any notice. She was thinking about what the boy said.
What if he was right? What if, in some ludicrous way, she had just wandered in on accident and… and then what? The Jedi made her Force-sensitive? That was doubtful. But what if she belonged to the Corellian senator? Kita gave a shudder; she didn't belong to anybody. Not even the Jedi Order. They gave her plenty of opportunities to go away, but she chose to stay. She was just as capable to leave as any Jedi in the Order, but she also wanted to stay just as much as any Jedi in the Order.
Finally, the turbolift reached its destination, and Kita trotted out, once again sensing out for the youngling. After eventually catching the young one's Force signature, Kita ran off, pushing the conversation out of her mind.
266 years later…
She would never forget that night; the night that Belria had been cremated. The Zabrak Jedi Knight was sixty-two years old. She still had a good forty years ahead of her, and she could have been a Jedi Master, but no, that's not how she wanted it.
Belria had finally become a Jedi Knight after passing the trials at twenty-seven. Her master was elevated to the rank of Jedi Master and placed on the High Council, and she finally had the freedom of a Knight that she always had wished for. Three years after she was Knighted, Belria selected her first and last Padawan: Raana Aslo.
Raana was a very talented youngling who had piqued Belria's interest when she was twelve, so Belria asked for her to be her Padawan. Raana accepted, knowing that Belria was a very competent and skilled Jedi Knight, and the two of them were the best Knight/Padawan pair there was… well, at least in Kita's opinion.
Seven years later, Belria and her Padawan went onto a mission that was to be simple negotiations, but in the middle of the mission, a coup overthrew the government and captured Raana. Belria went to rescue her, but she was too late; Raana had been killed.
Belria somehow managed to bring the mission to peace, but she never got over what happened to her Padawan. She never took another apprentice, and always went on solo missions. Kita did everything she could to cheer her up, but nothing ever really worked.
Eventually, Belria met the same fate as her Padawan. Another mission went awry, and Belria was killed in the thick of it. Another Knight/Padawan team was sent, and they brought back her body after settling the issue. Kita was horrified.
Tarrno-Beld-Ono and his Padawan attended the funeral with Kita, but Kelmi did not; she was also dead. Kelmi died at the hands of her own Padawan, who had turned to the dark side. They engaged in a lightsaber duel, and the two of them killed each other, Kelmi thinking it poetic justice.
The image of Kelmi, her Padawan, Belria, and Belria's Padawan all being cremated kept flashing through the dog's mind. Kita shook her head; this galaxy really was a tragedy.
But she was a Jedi. Well, Jedi Minder… that was her job. Over the years, Kita stopped worrying about getting into the action and started taking care of the younglings. Besides, she was two hundred seventy-nine years old; she was the perfect person—well, dog—for the job.
Kita was walking towards the nursery. It was one of her favorite places to go, and she had heard that there were a few new infants. Kita loved watching them all grow up, and nowadays every Jedi knew Kita and at least saw her once in their lifetime. Master Yoda still beat Kita in popularity throughout the Temple, but she took second place.
As the door slid open, Kita walked up to a crib that held one of the newcomers. A small baby, probably no older than ten months, looked up. He had a patch of dark brown hair, and studying brown eyes watched her. Kita read the holopad showing his name.
Kita licked the baby on the face, causing a fit of giggles to erupt from him. So, Dooku of Serenno, I guess I should welcome you to the Jedi Temple.
Well, what do you think? Please review!