Part Two: Aftermath
Three months later...
"No Jedi is allowed to take two Padawans, Master Qui-gon. You are aware of that."
"I'm not talking about taking a second learner, Master Windu. I just think that, until a new Master is found for Kalinda, that I could keep an eye on her training now that she is more fully healed; she's worked with me before and she and Obi-wan are of similar age and ability. I am just concerned that she is losing her way."
"Our own counsel we will keep on such matters, Qui-gon," Yoda said. "Focus on your own Padawan, you should."
"This discussion is over," Mace Windu added, his hands folded before him. "You may go."
Qui-gon bowed once, and exited the chamber quickly, his long stride bringing him to the turbolift in a few seconds. As he rode it down to the main level, his thoughts turned again to Kali, and he was glad that he had not told her about his decision to approach the Council on her behalf. Better that I don't get her hopes up, had been his thought at the time as he watched her, sitting alone in a quiet corner of the cafeteria, reading through a stack of datapads as students bustled around her with trays of food. Obi-wan had told him that she spent most of her time alone, either in the Archives or...well, he wasn't sure. It was clear that the boy was hurt that his friend had been avoiding him, though he didn't speak of it, Qui-gon sensed that something had happened between the two that had widened the rift. If only the Council had agreed, the Jedi thought, his mouth set in a firm line. I know that I could help her.
Still, it was useless to dwell on the past; besides, he did have an alternate plan. He and Obi-wan had been at the Temple for almost a week now, and while his Padawan was absorbed in classes and lectures today, Qui-gon had made a decision. It was relatively easy to find her; when he reached the Archives, Jocasta Nu gave him a sad smile after his inquiry and pointed towards the rear corner of the massive room. Qui-gon peered behind the final row of shelves and saw Kalinda seated in one of the plushy chairs, her back to him. A stack of datapads towered beside her. Engrossed as she was, she did not notice his presence until he was standing right in front of her.
"Hello, Kali," he said, giving her a warm smile.
She looked up then and gave him a half-hearted smile in return, setting her datapad in her lap. "Master Qui-gon."
He took a seat next to her, and leaned forward. "What are you studying?"
"Nomi Sunrider," she answered, glancing down at the datapad.
"She was a great Jedi," Qui-gon said with a nod. "Very powerful and very wise."
"She was married," Kali added in an offhand way. "With a baby. Her husband was a Jedi, too...well, he was one first, then she became one when he was killed."
"I'm glad to see that you have kept your studies up," Qui-gon said. "How are your classes?"
Kali shrugged, her hand lifted as she toyed with her Padawan braid. "Fine. Except they put me with some younger kids for lightsaber practice." She grimaced.
"How is it?" Qui-gon asked, glancing at her left knee.
Instinctively, she smoothed her tunic over it. "It doesn't hurt all the time like it did," she replied. "But it's not healing like it should. It's taking too long."
Qui-gon tried to conceal his surprise. "The Healers told you this?"
"I can read my own chart," she said, a little too sharply. "And I don't need anyone to tell me what they're all thinking." She looked at Qui-gon, and he felt a pang as he saw a hardness to her eyes that he had never seen before. "Did you come here to ask me questions, or to give me encouragement?"
"I came here because I consider us friends, and I care about you," he answered. "Jonas was one of my dearest friends, and I've known you since you were no higher than my knee."
She sighed and hugged her arms to her sides. "I don't want to talk about that."
"I spoke with Master Fisto this morning," the Jedi said. "He mentioned that he hasn't heard you play anything in a while; have you been practicing?"
"I don't much feel like it, Master."
Qui-gon tried to keep his expression neutral. "That doesn't sound like you, Kali. I don't think that I've ever known you to go an entire day without playing the viol."
She shrugged, but made no reply.
"Very well," Qui-gon said. On impulse, he leaned forward and embraced the girl; she felt thinner than he remembered, beneath the voluminous robes, and she seemed to freeze when he touched her. There is no light in her eyes, he thought, watching her guarded expression. She is not the same girl. "I want you to know," he said, forcing her to meet his gaze. "That I am here for you, if you ever do want to talk about anything. You know that, don't you?"
She nodded mutely, but he could see that he had not reached her. Sighing, he touched her hand, and stood up, his long stride carrying him quickly out of the Archives.
Kalinda woke the next morning like she did every morning: in a cold sweat, gasping and terrified of something that she could not see or comprehend. In the first few weeks after...after her return to the Temple, sleep had been a welcome release from the thoughts that kept leaking through the wall that she had built within her mind. Gradually, though, the blankness of sleep turned into a bottomless well of nightmares that she could never quite remember.
She showered quickly and gave herself a glance in the bathroom mirror: dark hair that fell past her shoulders, which she kept forgetting to brush; dark eyes that looked sunken into her oval-shaped face; her skin felt like parchment. She looked skinnier than she had before; the Healers kept admonishing her to eat more, but she rarely had an appetite. As always, she examined the wound on her left knee; as she had told Qui-gon, it had healed, for the most part, though it pained her more than she cared to admit, and she found it difficult to walk without limping, which was unsettling.
After dressing in the standard tunic and robes, Kali checked her calendar; all of the students at the temple had accounts within the system, and each day, assignments and classes were sent to the student's personal calendar, which streamlined the structure of education at the Temple. Her forehead creased as she saw her schedule for the day, after the usual round of meditation and meals: Observational Walk with Master Plo Koon. That's a new one, she thought. I wonder what we'll be observing? Reaching in her desk drawer, she pulled out a muja fruit, which she had managed to sneak back from the kitchen. As she munched on it, she flicked through the information about Nomi Sunrider. A particular quote caught her eye:
"Together, we have suffered a great disaster, and now comes a time for healing... We can never forget the dead—but we must also not forget the future. We must trust in the Force. As long as there are Jedi Knights, there is hope."
"As long as there are Jedi Knights, there is hope," she repeated aloud. The words sounded hollow in her ears and she shut the pad off with a sigh. A glance at the time told her that it was time to go, so she clipped her lightsaber to her belt and slipped out the door to the nearest turbolift. She didn't go to the cafeteria, where most of the other students had congregated already, instead heading for one of the practice rooms, which were always empty this time of day. There, she worked for about half an hour, stretching and flexing her weak knee, willing it to heal, willing it to be better. It was always incredibly sore after these sessions, but she thought that she could feel her old strength returning, which pushed her to continue.
"You have the Observational Walk too?"
Obi-wan turned and looked at Siri, who had caught up with him in the hallway. "Yes. Do you know anything about it?"
She shook her head. Though her blond hair was still relatively short, she had decided to let it grow out; it fell to the base of her chin now, swaying with the motion of her head. "I've asked around; no one has any idea what to expect." She gave him a smile. "Hopefully something exciting. I've been going stir crazy being cooped up here for the last few weeks."
He grinned. "That last mission was a little too exciting for me. But I'm glad you and Master Gallia were there...otherwise it might not have gone as it did." They shared a laugh, and paused at the turbolift. When the door opened, their laughter stopped abruptly as they noticed that Kalinda was inside already, absorbed in one of her ubiquitous datapads. She didn't even glance up, merely stepped aside so that they could enter. As the lift moved, an uneasy silence filled the area; Siri caught Obi-wan's eye, and glanced over at Kalinda, raising her eyebrows questioningly. He gave a slight shrug and shook his head.
If she noticed the silent exchange, the dark-haired girl showed no sign of it, save for the fact that she brushed past them the moment that the lift had stopped at their destination, exiting into the long corridor, her gait uneven.
"Wow," Siri said as soon as the other girl was out of earshot. "That girl is extra-strength crazy." She glanced at Obi-wan. "Sorry...I know that you two were friends."
"She's had a rough time, I guess," Obi-wan replied, feeling an unfamiliar twinge in his chest. "But she kind of...pushed me away."
The blond girl shrugged. "Her loss." She grinned slyly as Obi-wan cast her a startled look. However, before either of them could say anything, they arrived at the arranged meeting place, where Master Plo Koon and about a dozen other Padawans around their age were waiting.
The Observational Walk turned out to be more interesting than any of the Padawans had anticipated. Master Plo Koon had bustled the group into a transport, and they had descended down to the lower levels of Coruscant.
"I want you all to be especially mindful of the Living Force," the Kel Dor male had said as the Padawans glanced around eagerly at the colorful array of shops, bars, restaurants and bistros. "This is an exercise in paying attention to your surroundings, as much as a way to show you another side of this world that you may not be familiar with." He began to walk, the group clustered around him. "As Jedi, we deal with a great many prominent and wealthy individuals, but often it is from the unlikeliest of places that true information comes. Some of your Masters may have touched on this already, but I feel that..."
Kalinda hung in the back, only part of her attention on the Master's words. She was too busy trying to take it all in: the vivid shop displays with daring fashions; the overwhelming scent of delicious foods wafting from street vendors and cafes alike; and the raucous sounds of music that were emanating from a particularly gaudy establishment to her right. She stopped and looked at the building, named for a Huttese word that vaguely translated to "opening flower." Inside, she could make out a large stage, with several lithe young women gyrating suggestively, while one of them sang in front of the rest; it was one of the pop songs with frequented plays on the holochannels, but Kali thought that the human female did an admirable job replicating it.
"Miss Halcyon, can you tell me how many months it takes to acquire a permit to run a pari-mutual wagering establishment?" Plo Koon's voice broke her out of her reverie.
"It depends, Master," she replied. "If the casino is open from the hours of 0800 to 2000, it only takes one month. However, if they plan on being open from 2000 to 0800, it could take up to three months, due to the higher volume of applicants."
Plo Koon was not fooled, but he nodded once. "Very good. However, please try to keep with the rest of the group, Kalinda."
Nodding, Kali came forward, though she couldn't help but cast a glance back at the club, an idea forming in her mind. Ahead of her, Obi-wan and Adi Gallia's Padawan, Siri, were walking close together, their hands nearly touching. Kalinda swallowed thickly, her mind made up. Tonight, she thought, lifting her chin. I'll do it tonight.