Chapter 7: Political Mingling

Location: Zakuulan Embassy

Two hours later...

Following her speech before the senate, Princess Galilea had led her entourage to Zakuul's new embassy. Courscant's political elite had gathered at the Courscant Skyrise, from the rawest hack to the most entrenched fossil. Crippling boredom had quickly ensued, leaving Ben with nothing to distract himself with. He had slipped out of the reception, and had stepped out onto the embassy's sprawling balcony. It had been transformed into a rooftop garden by the Zakuulans, with a variety of flora native to the imperial capital. Members of the Honour Guard were on patrol, but paid no mind to the Jedi-in-training as he took a seat on a nearby bench. Seating himself next to a larmalstone planter, he stared up into the sky, watching the passing of the dense sky traffic.

"You bored too?" a small voice asked.

Standing only a few feet away was a boy with a few days growth of brown hair on his shaved head. His attire consisted of a long-sleeved tunic, pants, knee-high boots, and a thick belt, all black and gold. The colours were associated with members of the Eternal House, and the young Skywalker quickly realized that it was Prince Tadeas.

"Um...your highness," Ben stammered.

The boy waved his hand dismissively, having no real desire in upholding royal etiquette.

"I'd rather we dispense with protocol," he stated, "You're...Benjamin, right?"

"Just Ben," he replied with a sigh, "No one ever calls me Benjamin."

"Oh..., sorry."

"It's not your fault. I don't know why the Chief of State called me by that name?"

There was a lingering silence between the two boys, occasionally broken only by the sound of a passing airspeeder. Ben's eyes began to wonder, but he could tell that the prince's grey eyes were fixated on his lightsaber. He was about to open his mouth to say something, but the boy was quick to beat him to the punch.

"Are you a Squire?" he abruptly asked.

"A what?"

"A Squire. You are a Jedi-in-training, aren't you?"

"No, we're called apprentices. Is that what trainees are called on Zakuul?"

"Yeah. A child attains the rank of Squire once they've turned seven-years-old," the prince explained, "Well...they first need to be Force-sensitivity."

"What happens if they're found to be Forceful?"

"Well...then they're removed from their families and placed under the tutelage of one of the knights."

"Are you training to become a knight?" Ben asked.

"My training doesn't involve the same procedures as your average knights," Tadeas admitted, "Potential heir to the Eternal Throne and all. What's it like for you Jedi?"

"I never attended the academy, so I can't really attest to how thing are done there," he admitted.

"Oh...Why's that?" Tadeas questioned.

"I was born amidst the fires of the Yuuzhan Vong War," he explained, "I felt the deaths they caused and I became withdrawn from the Force. I've only really began opening myself up to it within the last several years."

Tadeas opened his mouth to say something, but any words promptly died within his throat when another knight approached. He was a blonde-haired man, clad in the standard armour worn by the Knights of Zakuul, but his was silver and white variation.

"Your Highness," the man said, "There are guests that your mother wishes for you to meet."

"I just needed some fresh air, Lycurgus," the boy stated.

"Be that as it may, you're needed indoors...now."

Tadeas let out a sigh, and gave Ben a lingering stare, conveying his desire to speak more, but was reluctantly forced to leave.

"It was nice talking to you," he said.

"You too, Your Highness."

Alone once more, Ben briefly mulled over the idea of heading back inside the embassy.

"Looks like you've made a friend," a voice stated.

Nearly jumping out of his skin, the boy turned to discover his cousin standing nearby, arms crossed as he leaned against a planter.

"How long have you been standing there?" he demanded.

"Long enough," he said, flashing a smile, "What do you say we get out of here?"

"Finally," Ben said, shoving himself off the bench and onto his feet, "Hanging out with these stuffy politicians is super boring."

"We'll have to stop at the Hapan Embassy first," Jacen explained, "The Queen Mother wishes to return to Hapes as soon as she can."

"That's fine," he stated, just wanting to make a getaway.

"Let's go find your parents."

Agreeing, the pair headed back inside the embassy, which was lit by blue glowpanels. The massive windows were tinted, making the interior appear dimmer then it actually was. The most dominate feature in the room was the large arbor arrangement located directly in the center. They found his parents standing with Tenel Ka, speaking with a dark-eyed Tarsunt dressed in dark blue robes. Ben recognized him as Lanever Villecham, a senator who was speculated to be planning a candidacy for Chief of State. His mother must've known he was approaching, as she immediately turned her green eyes in their direction.

"There you are," she said, "Where did you wonder off to?"

"I was bored, so I went out on the balcony," Ben explained.

She nodded her head in understanding, turning her attention back to the Tarsunt long enough to watch him depart.

"We're going to escort the Queen Mother back to the embassy," Jacen announced.

"We weren't going to stay much longer ourselves," Mara stated, "Are you sure you don't want to wait around for a bit?"

"Naw," Ben replied.

"Be back at the temple," Luke instructed, "I've got an assignment for you."

Not wanting to make a scene, Ben tried to conceal his excitement at going on his first assignment, but he needed to know the details.

"What's my mission about?" he asked, eagerness in his voice.

"You'll find out once we're back at the temple," Luke reminded.

"Are you ready to depart, Your Majesty?" Jacen inquired.

"Please lead the way, Jedi Solo. Jedi Skywalker," Tenel Ka stated.