"What are you doing?" said Kyle towards the Ebon Hawk's new passenger.
She was around 20 years old. She was short in height with short white hair. She wore a white hooded tunic, white trousers with white boots and carried an Echani Quarterstaff. She reminded Kyle of a young small version of Atris as the similarities were there between the two.
Kyle had changed into a set of custom black and white Jedi robes that he had purchased from one of the Merchants on Telos.
"I am training, so I will be ready for battle at any time, that and I have forgotten how long space travel can be" replied the Handmaiden in a soft caring voice.
"Could you teach me how to fight like an Echani?" replied Kyle.
"Very well, I think you are ready for the first tier of styles, rules are simple, use only your hands and feet to strike me, no weapons, no armour, no force powers" replied Handmaiden who walked to the far end of the room.
"Then let us begin" said Kyle as he turned around and started to undress down to his underwear after putting his Echani Vibroblade down at the opposite end of the room.
The Handmaiden then charged at him just as he turned around catching him slightly off guard. He dodged her first punch to his face but could not dodge the other straight into his gut immediately after knocking the wind out of him. She went to kick him but this time he was prepared, he caught her leg before spinning round landing a kick straight into her gut on the spin knocking her back a few feet and onto the floor. Kyle charged at her taking no chances then started to throw punches of his own. She blocked all of these but the battle was taking its toll on the Handmaiden before Kyle suddenly dropped and swiped at her legs bringing her down to the ground.
He then stood up to his feet indicating he had won. She looked up to him accepting this before he reached his arm out to her. She took it and pulled herself to her feet breathing heavily before breaking the silence.
"You fought well indeed, you observed my movements and turned them on me, you will be formidable opponent in battle"
"Maybe you can teach me more one day" replied Kyle walking back to where his clothes were.
He finished putting his clothes back on when he turned and realised she had not moved to redress herself.
"Err, Handmaiden, are you going to get dressed" said Kyle looking at her.
"I fail to understand the problem, as all Echani training battles are fought like this" replied the Handmaiden seriously.
"That is a unique way to practice for battle, but training without clothes or armour you are crippling yourself because the extra weight from you clothes is not there" replied Kyle.
The Handmaiden walked over to one of the cargo cannisters in the corner of the room and pulled out her bag.
"I see, I do have bulkier clothes, will this do?" said Handmaiden as she put on what appeared to be white Jedi robes similar to the ones Atris wears.
The robes were completely white and for some reason looked quite familiar to Kyle but he couldn't remember where from.
"Those look like Jedi Robes" said Kyle amazed.
"They suffice for training purposes, they belonged to my mother" replied the Handmaiden.
"Your mother was a Jedi, who was she?" said Kyle.
"She followed my father to war, but she never came back" replied Handmaiden.
"I'm sorry" said Kyle looking down.
"It is okay, you did not know" said Handmaiden.
Kyle walked over to her.
"What was her name?" said Kyle.
"Arren Kae, you knew of her" replied Handmaiden.
"You are strong young ones, equal in strength and power, but you can be defeated, always remember that" said Arren Kae looking at both Kyle and Atris.
Arren Kae was short with long white hair. She wore brown Jedi Robes. She was around 40 years of age.
"Yes Master Kae" said Kyle and Atris simultaneously bowing their heads.
"Yes, I knew her very well, as did Atris" replied Kyle.
"You loved her didn't you?" said Handmaiden.
"Who?" replied Kyle.
"Atris?" said Handmaiden.
Kyle looked away from her and walked towards the door.
"Forgive me, I should not have asked that it is not my place to know" said Handmaiden.
Kyle stopped at the door.
"It's fine, it's all in the past" replied Kyle.
He was about to walk out of the room but instead he turned around and looked at her.
"You know, in some ways you remind me of her, or what she was like when we were younger" said Kyle.
"I do?" replied the Handmaiden with a questioning look.
"Yes, I see the same traits in you that she possessed when we were younger, determination, a sense of honour, a stern but kind voice, not to mention the similarities in appearance, do you still wish to hear my answer to your question?" said Kyle kindly.
"If that is okay with you" said the Handmaiden.
"Sit with me" said Kyle as he sat down and gestured to the spot next to him.
She sat down next to him.
"Yes, I still love her, I have done for years, we were 8 years old when we first met on Dantooine, I had already been at the Academy for a few months when she arrived, we were both apprenticed under the same master and quickly became friends, Vima Sunrider" said Kyle looking at her.
"I heard about her, she was a great Jedi, it is a shame what happened to her" said the Handmaiden mournfully.
Kyle remembered her fate. She had been killed personally by Mandalore the Ultimate in one of the early skirmishes of the Mandalorian Wars. She and Master Kavar had gone to aid the Republic, but only he returned carrying her dead body. Kyle remembered the day they burned her body on the plains of Dantooine, how he and Atris both only twenty years old at the time had cried in each others arms in his chambers that night mourning her loss.
"Yeah, she was, and brave until the end knowing her, but on with the story, I began falling in love with her when we were about 14, but nothing happened until we were 18, she had just been knighted by the order so we went off on our own to celebrate, we eventually made our way to a clear pond on one of the plains of Dantooine, we messed around for a bit and then it happened, we shared our first kiss at that pond declaring our love for each other shortly afterwords, we kept it a secret from the order, we knew they would either banish us or forcefully separate us if they found out" said Kyle managing a small smile.
"That all changed however 6 years later, we were 24 at the time, both of us Jedi Masters and Atris a Jedi Historian on top of that, reports were coming in from all over the galaxy about the Mandalorian's, Revan had approached me earlier that day about joining the wars, I refused saying that we should trust the council, what a fool I was for trusting them, I knew Atris would disagree with joining the fight so I decided to stay on Dantooine with her, but shortly after I began to realise that if the Republic were to fall then the Mandalorian's would turn their attentions to the Jedi and attack them, I realised that in order to protect Atris and the rest of the order, that I would have to join the war and stop the threat, I told her my reasons for joining, she didn't take it well and we separated" said Kyle.
"So you joined the war, how long were you a part of it for?" said the Handmaiden.
"3 years, 3 years I went without seeing her, it felt like an eternity, and I missed her every day, I even kept a datapad along with a Solari lightsaber crystal like the one I had in my old lightsaber, which I gave to her after I was exiled 7 years ago, unfortunately my actions at the end of the war stripped me off the force, a punishment I deserved" said Kyle sadly.
"Malachor" replied the Handmaiden in sorrow.
"Malachor, exile gave me time to think about the magnitude of that monstrous act, and about the punishment I deserve for it, even after I last saw Atris hours after I was exiled, which again did not go well, I still thought about her all those years in exile, I never stopped loving her" said Kyle.
"Wow, that is some story, I never realised how close you two were, she still feels for you as well, I can tell" said the Handmaiden.
"Me too, I felt her emotions while we were talking, even though she does not realise them herself, now that I have told you this, please don't tell anyone else what I told you, its never easy for me to talk about this to anyone" said Kyle getting up extending his hand to her.
She accepted his hand and pulled herself up to her feet.
"Of course Kyle, I will not betray your confidence, thank you for sharing this with me" replied the Handmaiden smiling at him.
"Your welcome, I will leave you to continue training" said Kyle.
He then walked out of the room.
