The deep roar of the engine of the YT-1300 Freighter could be heard and felt through the slightly trembling ship as it soared through the atmosphere of Ahch-To the following morning. None slept much the prior night except for Chewbacca, who incidentally was nursing quite the hangover.
The ship still felt foreign to Rey, as she walked through the corridors of the ship. While Chewie accepted and told her he was more than happy to fly her where she needed to go, the ghost of Han Solo still lingered.
After the events of Starkiller Base and the hasty departure from the fleet, the ship had felt eerily quiet in the days it took to journey to Ahch-To, now though the ship echoed with the back and forth between Jedi.
"We should be heading for the Fleet!" Came Skywalkers voice from around the corner in the Main Hold. They weren't shouting, just… heatedly debating.
"We have no supplies, besides the ones we brought with us and I have no information! I'm not walking into any situation blind! Besides, I want to check on a few things." Returned Nasra.
Her Jedi Master.
The thought still made her stomach clench. Would she be a good Jedi? What did Jedi Training entail? When would the training begin? She couldn't wait and could barely hold the excitement in. Slowly, she rounded the corner of the main corridor as the familiar lurch of Hyperspace momentarily rocked the ship. They were on their way, to wherever Nasra had requested they go.
The sight of the two men brought a small smile to her face. Nasra was on his back, sprawled over the curved sofa while Skywalker was sat in the chair on the other side of the doorway.
"It's too late to argue now, we're in Hyperspace." She announced, pushing Nasra's feet off the sofa forcefully. She fixed him with a pointed stare and raised her eyebrow. He just shrugged – sometimes it made her wonder as to who was the elder one between the two of them.
"Good, we should be at Naboo soon enough." Shan nodded, standing up after a moment and rolling his shoulders.
"I still don't understand why Naboo of all places." Skywalker grumbled, running a hand over his beard. Artoo, who had been quietly sat in the corner tweeted something she couldn't quite catch which caused Skywalker to chuckle.
"It's in the Mid-Rim and will no doubt offer plenty of what I'm looking for."
"But you haven't told us what it is you're after." Rey pointed out, earning a pair of narrowed eyes in that glared in her direction playfully.
"Traitor," Her Master whispered loud enough for all to hear. She held back an amused snort. "I need to see what finances I have available. The last I heard, the Banking Clans didn't close an account unless there was an official death certificate. Now, at least from what I remember, there wasn't much that was ever 'official', so I'm hoping my account remained. If it is, I can buy some supplies that I'd like to get my hands on, such as blasters, daggers, lots of cloth and some changes of clothing."
"What do you need the cloth for?" She asked, confused.
"We need to get you looking the part of a Jedi, don't we?" Shan smirked, seeing her unabashed grin. "Besides, I don't want the Resistance to have to supply your training if I decide to stick around them. Training to be a Jedi is hard work – more so if you're fighting a war at the same time."
"I can agree with that, at least. In the Rebellion I barely had time to train before I left to find Master Yoda." Skywalker nodded. "Once an organisation like the Rebellion or even the Resistance gets wind that you're training to be a Jedi, you won't get much free time to do anything."
"Back in the days of the Republic, in times of war Jedi Padawans were given military rank beneath Knights and Masters. Padawans would hold the rank of Commander while the Knights and Master's were often Generals." Nasra added. The two men had suddenly sapped the excitement out of her.
Leia knew she was going to find Luke to train her, as well as bring him back. Now that she had Nasra as a Master and she was eventually bringing Skywalker to the Resistance, would they insist a military commission? She despised the First Order and wanted to fight it, but not at the expense of her training.
"Rey, stand up and come over here." Came Nasra's voice from where he'd stopped. He was stood in the robes and armour he'd been wearing since he'd awoken – his helmet in one of the crates in the Cargo Hold, the third one on the other side of the ship if she remembered rightly.
She did as she was bid and stepped before him. Gone was her grey sleeveless jacket and her three-quarter length pants. She stood before him now in one of her tunics and comfortable pants that were tucked into her boots. The arm-wraps had been removed too.
With a gesture Nasra pulled her Quarterstaff to him from across the room and handed it to her. Skywalker sat behind her oddly quiet, no doubt interested in the time-displaced Jedi's training methods. "Take this and show me your opening stance. I want you to go through some Kata's while I watch and observe."
She did as he asked, falling into the stances and poses that she'd crafted over the years. Her mind was concentrating on the task set before her, eyes closed as they had been throughout the years. Her face betrayed none of the tenseness she felt.
She continued for a time, the weight of the pole a familiar companion as she spun it around her body easily with both hands.
"Well, I've got my work cut out for me." Came the sigh from the man a decade and a few thousand years her elder. Her eyes opened slowly, and she looked at him, an unreadable expression on his face.
"Did I do something wrong?" She asked, looking between the two Jedi Masters.
"A few things. Your footwork is all over the place and is the first thing we're going to need to correct. I'm impressed at your grip though – much better than that lightsaber I saw you using."
Nasra stood, walking to stand opposite her. "Okay, so do you see how if I stand like this, you could knock me over if you tried? Go on, try." She did and the Master fell gently to the deck. "And now, in a fight – a proper fight, I'm dead. I can't begin to count how many Sith I beat because their footwork was sloppy."
He grunted as he stood, "But, if you nail your footwork, your centre of gravity should follow it. I'll teach you each of the Lightsaber Forms and Teras Kasi. I'll also make sure you're proficient with blasters, just in case."
She nodded slowly, and for a few hours the two went back and forth on her footwork. Towards the approach of the fourth hour, her newly minted Master called a break in the training and sat down.
"Now, I understand that I'm more of a martial Jedi than what would be normal, but I still know a lot about the Order and the Force. I can feel your excitement for starting your training, but is there anything you specifically want to know now? We'll be in Hyperspace for a day or two so this is pretty much going to be the routine." Nasra offered, taking a sip out of a canteen of something or other.
She sat down slowly, a slight sheen of sweat on her face and more than a few bruises from falling hard on the Durasteel. "How do you plan on training me?" She found herself asking, her chest rising and falling quickly as she caught her breath. She hadn't realised how winded she was, yet Nasra didn't even look like he'd broken a sweat!
"Well that entirely depends," He began slowly, resting the back of his head against the bulkhead behind him.
"On what?" She asked, confused."
"On whether or not Master Skywalker wants to teach you as well." Nasra offered, glancing over at the quiet man. Skywalker frowned.
"I don't think I could ever teach another gen-" He began, Nasra's voice cutting him off.
"I meant what I said in the Temple, Skywalker. The Jedi are all I know. One way or another, I'll make sure they return to the galaxy – though with some changes to the Code for sure. I can't do it on my own. I'll need help. I'll need a fellow Jedi Master."
Rey looked between the two men that seemed to be in a heated battle of wills as they stared at one another. Skywalker seemed annoyed and conflicted while Shan was unflinching in his conviction. "There is lore and all sorts of Holocrons in the galaxy, particularly on Ossus and Tython if they survived this long. I'd like to start a Training Temple on Tython eventually. I have a few ideas already, but I'll need help regardless. As much as the media liked to paint me as such, I can't do everything myself." Shan chuckled, laying his legs out in front of him lazily.
"You still haven't answered my question." Rey reminded him. This caused the man across from her to chuckle.
"I suppose I didn't, did I? I'll begin with endurance and strength training. Your body is too under-developed for a lot of the training. During that time, I'll begin teaching you the basics of the Force and about the Jedi. After that, I'll start adding in combat training and keep you progressing."
She blinked, admittedly not expecting him to have thought that far ahead.
"This isn't your first Padawan, is it?" Skywalker asked, casting a curious gaze upon Shan. There was something in his eyes that Rey couldn't quite put her finger on.
"It isn't, no. Though, that Padawan was almost to the end of her training when I became responsible for her. About your age, actually." He added, nodding his head in her direction. The man closed his eyes and tilted his head back again. "Her name was Kira. Kira Carsen."
"What happened to her?" She found herself asking, leaning forward. The way he said her name was strange – there was a story there, she was sure of it.
"She became a fine Jedi, and a good friend. Wasn't one for rules, though." He chuckled. "You remind me of her a lot, actually. Particularly your stubbornness. We became a team and spent most of our careers as Knights together. Even when I became a Master she was always with me."
"She sounds like quite the woman." Skywalker said softly, obviously understanding something that she wasn't. She smiled at the wistful tone Shan's voice had taken on though.
"She was." Nasra agreed and the room was quiet for a time, until a passing comment earlier in the conversation came to mind.
"Earlier, you mentioned a Code?"
Nasra groaned, "Ah, the Jedi Code. That thing." His eyes were open now and he was looking at her, a frown on his face.
"The Code is there for a reason." Skywalker argued, though that didn't help educate her in any way.
"But what is it?" Rey insisted. It seemed the two men had very different opinions on this. Had it been this way for many Jedi?
"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." Nasra recited. He sneered the first line, she noted with a frown. "I understand why the Code is what it is, but I exist in contradiction to the first line. If there was ever a line to change, that would be it."
"What do you mean?"
"Jedi aren't supposed to marry or have offspring." Skywalker informed her. She frowned, momentarily stupefied. "Jedi are supposed to be above such desires. Take a Jedi who's being hunted by an organisation. It's much easier to lure or bait the Jedi if they have an emotional connection to specific individuals."
"Jedi are taught to be selfless, to care for all individuals equally to be impartial and fair. But we can't do that. We're whatever species we are, and our emotions make us who we are. I saw too many Jedi fall or become corrupted because they bottled their emotions up. It's happened too many times in our history to ignore it." Nasra added, agreeing with Skywalker yet raising his own fair arguments. Rey sat there stunned, having never heard any of this before.
"The line from the Code is supposed to help a Jedi learn to control those emotions, but I do have to admit that the historical texts I'd recovered over the years did mention Jedi who fell because they or the Order at the time took it far too literal." Skywalker nodded.
"The rest of the Code is fine, it's just that one line that's always rubbed me the wrong way." Shan shrugged. "Jedi born from other Jedi were often ostracised by their peers. There were exceptions, of course. Cerean Jedi were permitted to marry and raise families, but the vast majority were not."
She was stunned. She had no idea that the life of a Jedi would sound so lonely. Perhaps Shan was right, maybe a change to the Code would be a good thing for future Jedi. Only time would tell.
Naboo was in the middle of its Summer season and the sun shone on the group warmly as they descended the boarding ramp of the Falcon. The first thing that stuck out to Rey was the architecture. Everything was made from carved stone with elegant designs with metal trimmings. It was all very… artistic.
She gazed around the landing bay in awe. The Spaceport seemed to be a perfect blend of chaotic and peaceful. There seemed to be no rush, while at the same time everything was done in the most efficient way possible. It was amazing.
"If you think this is something, just wait until we step into Theed." Nasra snorted by her side. He'd wrapped himself in one of his many cloaks and held it closed around him, hiding his robes and armour – though she noted that this cloak's sleeves finished at his elbows and exposed his armoured gauntlets. Skywalker was dressed in his regular dark cloak.
"Theed? Interesting choice." Skywalker commented, casting his gaze about.
"It's the most likely to have what I need. Besides, I'd also like a chance to see if there's any First Order presence here. It'd be nice to know who wants to kill me for being a Jedi." Nasra replied, whispering the last bit. "First stop, the Bank. Chewie, Artoo I think it best if you stay with the ship. Keep the scanners on and comm us if you notice anything."
The big furball nodded and climbed back into the ship, a twooting Artoo on his heels – likely to go and play Dejarik on the holotable.
The trio made their way out of the relatively peaceful spaceport with no difficulty and proceeded on their way into the capital city of Naboo. All around them were a mixture of species, though the predominant ones were colourfully dressed humans or Gungan's. At first, she wasn't sure what to make of the creatures she observed until Luke had gladly answered a few of her questions – particularly the name of their species, having never seen their like on Jakku.
Theed itself was a wonder. It was incredibly clean and ornate and had the most amazing plants either in pots, beds or climbing the walls of buildings. Speeders flew by on their repulsors as citizens sped from one destination in their daily lives to another. It was like nothing she'd seen before!
The trio hailed a Taxi-Droid and shuffled into the Speeder, Nasra asking for the local Banking Clan Offices. The Droid nodded once, locked the doors for their own safety and sped off. The Speeder had no visible roof and so the wind whipping her hair back. Since falling into the Dark Place, she'd lost all but one of her hair ties and had resorted to wearing her hair down. She smiled at the cool feeling of the air on her skin. It was a welcome change from the dry heat of Jakku and the clammy, salty air of Ahch-To.
The Speeder arrived in no time, coming to a stop slowly. The three stepped out of the cab and Rey handed over a handful of credits that the Resistance had provided for her trip. If Nasra had no credits, they'd have to return immediately to the Fleet and rely on them. She had to admit, that being as self-reliant as she had over the years, she was leaning more in agreement with Nasra than Skywalker. There was no use in relying on the Resistance to fund her training. With the Republic gone, they likely needed every resource they could get their hands on.
The Muunilist bank was cooler than outside, though with the number of beings in it, it was no surprise for the needed drop in temperature. The room they entered was large and round, with booths lining each wall and central pillars supporting a large domed ceiling. Behind each windowed booth was a Muun talking to customers and filling out paperwork. There were a few terminals here and there for customers to browse their accounts independently, but they were all occupied with long lines.
She followed in the wake of Nasra, Skywalker by her side. They stepped into the shortest line they could find and waited. They stood for about an hour, idly chatting away between themselves but usually in silence. There was little they had to talk about when in public. Most of the conversations were either Nasra or Rey asking a question to Luke, who admitted he probably knew about as much as they when it came to current galactic affairs.
Eventually, they made it to the front of the line and she couldn't help but sigh in relief.
"How may I help you, gentle-being?" A Muun asked, the higher voice and more angular face suggesting this was a female.
"Hello, I was wondering if I could inquire about an account that may be a few thousand years old. Does your policy of official death certificates still stand?" Nasra asked quietly. The Muun looked up from her terminal sharply.
"It does. If you would like to go to one of the conference rooms just through the door on your left, I'll be with you in just a moment." The Muun directed. The trio did as was told and moments later found themselves on some very comfortable chairs.
After a few more moments of silence and leathery squeaking, the Muun walked through the door and sat down, "Sorry to have kept you. My name is Li Sa-Vin and I'll be your representative with the Muunilist Banking Clan's today. So, you mentioned you have an interest in an account? Can I have the name of the account holder?"
"Nasra Shan." Shan replied, his expression guarded. Did he sense something or was he just wary? It was so hard to tell with him sometimes!
Li tapped a few commands into a datapad she held and made a few noises in the back of her throat. Rey hadn't appreciated in the foyer just how tall Muun's were, or how intimidating they could be. From what she knew, Muun's had no hair anywhere on their bodies and had very pale skin, though what set them apart from other sentient species were the tall elongated skulls and their overall height, often coming to a staggering two and a half meters.
"I've found the account, and it doesn't appear to have been frozen. However, we do have some security we need to go though to give access to such an account. We wouldn't want to enable fraud for example. I'm afraid a blood sample will be required as well. Not much, just a thumb-print on a small scanner that our database can use to compare it." Li Sa-Vin informed them, and she let go of a breath she hadn't realised she'd been holding.
"Excellent. I'm happy to do the blood sample now, if you'd like?" Nasra offered. The Muun nodded and passed a small device over the table. With no hesitation, the Jedi pressed down with his thumb on his right hand and handed it back a moment later. Li pushed it into a receptacle on the bottom of her datapad and the machine beeped its confirmation.
"Now, just a few questions. First, the reason for wanting to access your account?"
"I've been… away from the galaxy for a time." He replied cryptically. Both she and Master Skywalker kept quiet.
"I understand your desire for discretion. Second question, the security question on the account; 'The name of your next of kin?'"
"Theron."
"Excellent. Finally, I just need you to input your personal account code into this datapad just here." Li nodded, passing the datapad she was holding over. Nasra typed in a string of characters and passed it back. A beep emitted from the little machine and a small stick ejected itself from the top.
"Everything seems to be in order. This is your new Credit Stick and can be used anywhere in civilised space. Additionally, if you require a withdrawal of any type of currency we trade in, one of our terminals outside will more than suit your needs. Is there anything else I can help you with?"
"No thank you, that's everything I needed. Thank you for your time Li Sa-Vin." Nasra nodded. As the three of them left the room and approached a now free terminal in the foyer, Rey noticed that the ban itself was a lot quieter now. Had they been here that long?
"That seemed to go quite smoothly." Skywalker noted, watching as Nasra began checking over his account.
"It's not uncommon for someone serving a multiple life sentence to be put into stasis. The banks often don't ask too many questions. Well, everything seems to be in order and I seem to have become markedly richer." Shan shrugged, eyes widening slightly at the screen. From her position, she couldn't see the screen but assumed there was a fair bit in there.
"How much are we talking?" Skywalker asked curiously.
"It looks like they never froze the account like they should have, so I kept receiving interest. That's odd, the Muun's are known for being meticulous with their accounts. I probably have enough to buy a few sectors and then some."
Skywalker whistled quietly. "I wouldn't look a gift Nerf in the mouth in this case. We have a few hours left, might as well make a move through the list you needed to get."
"I agree. Hopefully we can be on our way in a few hours."
"How much to get her fitted?" Nasra asked, watching the face of the young man before him. The shop they were in was a standard shop that offered a range of services. In this instance he wanted some very specific things.
"Not much, two hundred maybe? Depends on what you want her fitted for." The human replied. He was dark of hair and attractive in his soft, boyish way. He wasn't a fan of how he was raking his eyes over his Apprentice though.
"I want her fitted for everything. Clothes, robes, armour, you name it." He replied. "Keep it under four hundred and we have a deal."
"I can do that. If you'd like to follow me, miss?" The man asked, walking over to a side door. As the two left, it meant Skywalker and he were left alone. It would take some time to get Rey's fittings and he intended to use their time wisely.
"Skywalker, do you mind working on getting some of the other things we need? I have a datapad with a list on it of what we want. I'll stay here and sort this." He asked, turning to look at the older man. Skywalker was looking about curiously, browsing its wares on display. He nodded and reached out for the datapad and the credit chip he'd transferred some credits to in the bank.
"Sure. I'll get it delivered to the Falcon. How long do you think you'll be?"
"I'm not sure. It might be worth just meeting us back at the ship. Thanks for this." Nasra nodded, smiling slightly. He appreciated the help, he really did. He missed the times when he could just fly to Coruscant or a large trading post and his entire team could be in and out in an hour or two.
As Skywalker nodded and left, he found himself settling down into a comfortable chair. The shop seemed to be of fair quality and remarkably clean. It also seemed as if it leaned more towards clothing than anything else, though he could spot the occasional droid or appliance for sale.
Some time passed and eventually the two came out of the side room, first a blushing Rey and secondly a smirking shopkeeper. He grunted in disgust.
"You alright?" He asked Rey quietly as he stood.
She nodded and quietly whispered, "I didn't realise you were getting me fitted for everything!"
He shrugged, "Armour is tightly fitted. It'll pay off in the long run. I'm sorry, I should have given you a heads up that you'd likely need to strip down to underwear."
She waved it off, "I just could've done without him staring the whole time. It's fine, really."
"I'm glad. Now, lets get you some clothes." He turned and approached the proprietor who was reading from a small datapad. Likely the measurements he'd obtained. "I want tunics, pants and boots first. Whatever else she picks out and the occasional formal dress. I also want you to create some things to her instructions as well. Can you do this?"
The man nodded and went to say something else but was cut off as he let out a startled yelp as he grabbed him by the collar and brought him nose-to-nose. "And if I hear about any gawking, lingering eyes or wandering hands, you'll lose a few limbs. Is that understood?" The man nodded, his eyes wide. "Good. And thank you for the twenty-five percent discount. You're too generous." He added, settling him down and releasing his grip. He went to open his mouth to argue, but Nasra's intense gaze and own words cut him off, "Sorry, were you about to argue for fifty? No? I thought not. That's a shame."
The man scurried off and he turned around to a grinning Rey. He grinned back, winking.
"Raddus Control, this is the Millennium Falcon requesting permission to land." Rey spoke into the comm unit in the cockpit of the freighter. He was stood behind her, casting his gaze upon the various ships that made up this small fleet.
As they approached the central ship, the Raddus, it was apparent that the Fleet – and it was generous giving it that title, was just a mish-mash of various ships from Frigate to the Heavy Cruiser that appeared to be their centre of command. He grimaced, not having considered they were this poorly off.
"Millennium Falcon, this is Raddus Control, permission granted. Proceed to the main hangar. Welcome back." The digitised voice replied. Chewie made a few grunts and growls and Nasra had to admit he was impressed with how smoothly the two pilots brought the ship in to land.
As the landing gear touched the plates of the hangar, he saw a small collection of various fighters and gunships around the large bay. He also spotted the gathering of beings beginning to crowd around the ship. He chuckled a little as some attempted to wave up at the canopy.
"You seem to have quite the adoring fans, Rey." He grinned, patting her on her shoulder gently. As she stood and spun out of her seat, he caught another glimpse of the robes she'd had made, and he had to give her credit, they suited her perfectly.
Gone was the light tunic, and the overall shabbiness of her clothes. In their place was a dark grey V-shaped tunic. It was held in place around her lower ribs by a wide cloth belt which left the tops of her hips bare to the world. The dark pants she'd bought were form fitting and had no issues tucking into her knee-high combat boots and her wrists were covered by some leather vambraces. Topping the whole image off was the belt that hung lazily about her hips that dangled a lightsaber proudly. She looked the part of a Jedi, and now it was up to him to train her to be worthy of such a title.
She smiled up at him as they joined Skywalker by the boarding ramp.
"I think it best if you lead the way." He greeted them, looking at Rey. "We'll be right behind you."
The young woman nodded as she took a deep breath. He noted, with no small amount of satisfaction that Skywalker was wearing his Jedi robes. Rey pressed a button on the wall and the three stood as the hissing as the pressure seals broke and the grinding of the old ship's hydraulics lowered the ramp for them.
The noise was the first thing he noticed. Cheers echoed up the ramp and through the steam of cooling jets. Rey started down first, her face cheerful. The two Jedi followed, their faces much more composed.
"Welcome back Rey!" "It's good to see you!" "Did you find Master Skywalker?" "Who are they?"
The voices were lost as each clamoured to be heard over the other. What a sight it was. He hadn't experienced anything like this since the beginning of the Alliance, when most of the missions undertaken were by himself. As their numbers grew, he was able to take a much more hands-off approach, but that hadn't been until after he'd ran his blade through Vaylin's neck.
A small group of individuals stood separate from the rest of the crowd, a healthy distance between them. Were these command staff? At the front was a woman about the same age as Skywalker in a dark dress and her silver-grey hair done up in an elaborate fashion.
Rey approached them and bowed politely, "General Organa, may I present to you Jedi Master Luke Skywalker," Rey announced loud enough for the entire crowd to hear. The cheer that echoed around the hangar was sure to leave him deaf for the rest of his thirties, surely. "And may I also present Jedi Master, Nasra Shan."
The two of them stepped forward, bowing formally. After standing back to his full height, Nasra clasped his arms behind his back and fell into a parade rest. He smiled to himself as Luke and his sister embraced.
"We're happy to have you back, Rey." Leia began as she released her brother. "And thrilled to see not one, but two Jedi among us. I'm sure we have much to discuss. If you'd like to join us in one of our War Rooms, we can discuss matters much more openly." She smiled.
The three nodded simultaneously and fell into step with the leaders of the Resistance.